


Together We Stand

by xsimkat



Series: Avenging Love Series [6]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Phoebe Slaps Tony, Slow Burn, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark Friendship, Tony Being Tony, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2019-05-23 21:00:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14941298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xsimkat/pseuds/xsimkat
Summary: **AU Iron Man 3 Rewrite**Becoming an Avenger and the girlfriend of Captain America were two of the best things to ever happen to Phoebe. But some aren't as grateful. Tony Stark is struggling with the events of "Avenging Love: Assemble", and flakes on a recon mission. When a political nightmare by the name of the Mandarin initiates bombings across the globe, injuring one of Tony's close friends in the process, the Avengers take matters into their own hands to bring their fellow Avenger and friend back to reality and stop the Mandarin.





	1. Warrior

**Author's Note:**

> ~~AU Iron Man 3 Rewrite~~  
> ~Can be read as stand alone, just know that Phoebe Reynolds is a enhanced SHIELD agent who had the super soldier serum at 18 and was captured by HYDRA at one point but rescued by her best friend, Tony Stark. She is dating Steve Rogers~  
> Yes, I'm back with another story! How will Phoebe and Steve help Tony, do you ask? Read and find out! <3 Enjoy!

_When we grew up,_  
_Our shadows grew up too._  
_But they’re just old ghosts_  
_That we grow attached to._  
_The tragic flaw is that they hide the truth_

_That you’re enough._  
_I promise you’re enough._  
_I promise you’re enough, I promise you._  
_-You Are Enough, Sleeping at Last_

***  
December 13, 2012  
**_Phoebe_**

Living in D.C. with Steve was like living in the 1940s. Phoebe cooked, cleaned, went to the gym, wrote reports for Steve’s missions, decrypted software for SHIELD, and waited for Steve to return home just as she would if she were his girl during the war.

And she would be the first to tell you this was not her idea, or Steve’s. No, protective custody was Fury’s idea, something he suggested after Phoebe’s exposure increased with becoming an Avenger. Fury assigned her to non-field duty. She and Steve were relocated to D.C. within 4 hours of the assignment.

They adjusted to the change with grace. There was just something about having a domestic life with Steve that was attractive. Phoebe found a new love for cooking with her free time, which was a lot, and Steve loved coming home to a full plate on the table even if some of her recipes were a bust. Going to bed with him was the most relaxing part of the evening. Feeling his body pressed behind hers as they curled under the sheets after a long day. Steve would hum some of his favorite songs if Phoebe had a nightmare – which still happened on occasion. Life was good.

Until the Mandarin struck America.

_“Some people call me a terrorist. I consider myself a teacher. America. Ready for another lesson?”  – “You know who I am. You don’t know where I am. And you’ll never see me coming.”_

Since the Mandarin’s appearance two months ago, the government has been racing against the clock to find him. Fury was given the OK to send the Avengers to do recon work only. As of right now, all the Avengers left are Clint, Natasha, Tony, and Steve. Bruce has been missing for a month. Thor is back on Asgard dealing with his idiot brother. And with Phoebe in protective custody, she wasn’t allowed to go anywhere Avenger-related.

“Do you have anything?” Sharon asked.

Sharon Carter was assigned to guard Phoebe, protecting her at all costs. This was ensured by Sharon moving next door. Phoebe was happy to have someone she knew and was close to watching her back. Both agreed that it would be best to keep her relationship to Peggy Carter a secret while this Mandarin mess was going on. Steve needed to stay focused.

“Yeah, a migraine,” Phoebe said, her voice coming to a low groan. She sighed, shutting her computer with a loud _click!_ , a finger pinched between her eyes. “It’s like this guy just magically appeared one day and decided to bomb parts of the world.”

“Maybe it is magic,” Sharon suggested, though the shift in her voice suggested a comical undertone.

Phoebe considered this, but ultimately decided that there’d be something more than just bombings if it were magic-related. “It’s something suspicious, that’s for sure.”

Sharon looked at Phoebe, an eyebrow raised. “You think there’s more to it than terrorism?”

Phoebe frowned. She couldn’t prove it yet, but something in her gut told her there was more to the story. And her gut instinct was usually the way to go. “I think I need more time to figure it out. And I need Steve to come home.”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Sharon offered with a small smile.

“Steve’s fine and your fine are two different kinds of fine,” Phoebe reminded her. Even when he wasn’t, he went out of his way to make it look like he was okay. It was a charming, but also annoying trait of his.

“Did he say when he’d be home?”

Phoebe shrugged. “Could be one day, one month. You know how SHIELD missions work.”

Sharon snorted. “Hell yeah. I’ve been on the same mission for three months.”

Phoebe looked at her and Sharon nudged her gently, a wicked grin. “I know it must be boring for you.”

“Personally, I think you can handle yourself,” Sharon said.

“Finally! Someone’s on the same page as me,” Phoebe exclaimed. Fury refused to hear anything Phoebe or Steve had to say when he told them about the protocol.

***

[ _Flashback_ ]

“I told Natasha and now I’m telling you. I am not going into protective custody. I can handle myself.” Phoebe stood in front of Nick Fury’s desk where he was situated with his hand folded over a familiar vanilla envelope.

Phoebe’s SHIELD file.

“You have become a national target since New York. Our Intel says that Karpov fell off the radar completely. From HYDRA, SHIELD, everywhere. We think he’s in hiding, but Strucker is still out there. Until we catch him, we have to protect you. This isn’t a request, Agent,” Fury said, his voice lowering at the last sentence.

Phoebe knew she was losing the battle with her boss, but her freedom was one thing she swore Strucker would never get his hands on again.

“Sir, with all due respect, I think I am more than capable of protecting Agent Reynolds.” Steve finally spoke up after sitting in the background listening to the two bickering for the last half-hour.

“And with all due respect, Captain, you have a personal connection to the target, which makes your argument pretty much useless.” Fury glared through his one eye. Phoebe winced, finding his emotions to be troubling. He was worried and scared. It was nothing like the emotions he was giving off on the outside.

“Alright, I’ll do it. On one condition. Only if Steve moves with me,” Phoebe said after she gave herself a minute to think about it.

Steve’s mouth dropped briefly before he stood up, falling in line with Phoebe to show his support of the idea. Fury challenged the two for several moments, neither of them faltering in their stares. Phoebe felt Fury’s emotions again. He was going to let them move together.

 [ _End Flashback_ ]

***

“Have you thought about going back to Fury and asking him to lift the PC?” Sharon asked.

At one point, she had considered storming into Fury’s office and wrapping a molecular rope around his neck until he did what she wanted. But that wasn’t best way to ensure future promotional opportunities. Phoebe knew she only had one choice. To let this little charade run its course until Fury himself realizes that Phoebe is needed both on the field at work and with the Avengers.

“Once his mind is made up, it takes a lot to change it,” Phoebe sighed, eyes gazing at the clock on her stove. It was five after eight. She was late for work. “Damn it, I have to get to work. Feel free to try to decrypt the Mandarin’s last transmission while I’m gone.”

“And if I come up empty?”

Phoebe turned around at that, a hand on the front door as she said, “Then pray the Avengers have found something.”

***  
**_Steve_**

Kuwait was a dead end. There was nothing. Not one shred of forensic evidence to help them.

When the Avengers touched down, they were overwhelmed by what they saw. Bodies lying in the roadways, stopping traffic for hours until someone could collect the remains. People covered in layers of dust, tear stained paths tattooed on their cheeks along with trails of blood and open wounds. FEMA and the Red Cross helped as many people as they could, but this particular bomb was in a very crowded part of Kuwait. There were more casualties than all the other bombings combined. In truth, this was the 8th bombing to hit the world. The public has only been told about three to keep the peace.

But Kuwait was anything but peaceful.

“There were so many bodies,” Clint said with a hard sigh. Steve could see the anger seeping into his features. “I want this bastard dead.”

“Did you see the group of children under the FEMA tent? A volunteer told me they were children whose parents were killed.” Natasha shook her head. “All of them orphaned just like _that_ ,” she said with a theatrical snap of her fingers. “We really need to figure out a better system than just watching the smoke come out of the wreckage, Cap.”

Steve stared behind her, eyes glazed. He was exhausted, having spent three days without sleep helping families trapped in their homes. One family hit him hard. A family of five. A mom, dad, and three beautiful little girls. They couldn’t have been any more than 10 years old at the latest. The mother was holding the body of two of her girls, while the father lay next to her, dead. The other little girl sat in the corner just staring at the debris outside. The light in her eyes gone. Her home was destroyed. And then her mother collapsed. Steve looked for signs of injury, and found her femur was fractured, her ankle-length dark orange skirt concealing it. A fatty embolism, Steve knew from the medical classes he’s been taking through SHIELD. The little girl didn’t cry. But she did notice Steve’s resolve cracking and she asked if he was okay. The little girl, who just lost everything, was making sure he was okay.

Her name was Wen, and she was a warrior.

If Steve had a daughter, he only hoped she would have as much compassion as Wen.

“Cap, you still with us?”

Steve looked at Natasha – who had apparently been waving her hand in front of him for a while. “Uh, yeah, sorry.” A moment later and he was in full leadership mode. “We’ll get the Mandarin. We just need to work together as a team.”

“Don’t tell us that. Tell Stark. He’s the one who flaked,” Clint said from the pilot’s seat. “Again,” he added with emphasis.

Clint was right. Tony didn’t meet them at the rendezvous point and they had to mount up without him. Steve wondered what could have been so important that Tony wouldn’t have at least called him to let him know he couldn’t join them. It was rude, and it was becoming a pattern.

Steve sighed. “Has anyone tried contacting him?”

“Maybe Phoebe should,” Natasha offered. “They’re closest. He’s more likely to answer her call than any of ours.”

Steve nodded and made a mental note to have Phoebe give Stark a call as soon as they touched down at the Triskelion.

***  
**_Phoebe_**

Phoebe received Kuwait’s first report done by Natasha and was entering it into the system when her computer and television suddenly went black.

“What the hell?” she cursed aloud, instinctively smacking the monitor despite knowing that does no good.

A second later her monitor was consumed by the Mandarin’s logo on a blood red screen, and no amount of tapping on the keyboard could change it. Phoebe reached into her desk and pulled out a micro USB chip and inserted it into the monitor, hoping for a miracle. Maybe the Mandarin’s people messed up with their encryption and gave her the tiniest of voids in the software to allow her to hack into their protocol and see where the hell they were one and for all.

 _“True story about fortune cookies._ _They look Chinese, they sound Chinese, but they're actually an American invention. Which is why they're hollow, full of lies, and leave a bad taste in the mouth. My disciples just destroyed another cheap American knock-off, The Chinese Theater. Mr. President, I know this must be getting frustrating, but this season of terror is drawing to a close. And don't worry, the big one is coming; your graduation.”_

Phoebe never forgot a face. Names were another story but faces? Faces, she remembered. And she was almost 95% sure that the man on the stretcher was Happy Hogan. But it couldn’t be. Could it? It sure as hell looked like him. She had to find out for sure.

Just as she reached for her phone, one of Tony’s newest upgrades. Completely transparent board, multi-view system, holographic alarms, everything you can think of. She unlocked the screen and ghosted a fingertip over Tony’s number when a second screen popped up showing her Caller ID.

_Rhodey._


	2. Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers team up to find out what the hell is wrong with Tony.

***  
**_Phoebe_**

Tony needed help.

Serious help.

According to Rhodey’s message, Tony wasn’t sleeping. He had a panic attack in the middle of a crowded restaurant. He was going days without rest, tinkering away all day and night. He was almost too willing to bring himself in on the Mandarin ordeal _without_ the Avengers helping. And when the other Avengers, or even close to New York, is mentioned he shuts down. The man was a wreck. But the worst part wasn’t that he was a wreck.

It was the fact he had every right to be that way.

He took a nuke and propelled it into another dimension. He left Earth and got a glimpse of life beyond our world. Everything he read about and studied about Earth being the only signs of life was wrong. We aren’t the only life out there. There is more to worry about than other humans.

And Tony saw it firsthand.

Rhodey confirmed that it was Happy who was injured at the Chinese Theater. From what Tony recalled –  which wasn’t a lot considering the drunken stupor he put himself in when he first heard about Happy – he was worried about someone named Aldrich Killian and his lackey while he visited with Pepper at Stark Industries. Rhodey deduced that it was a pretty big coincidence that he stumbled into a Mandarin bomb if he was trailing them.

Phoebe thought so, too. She finished up her work early and came home around lunch time. But the work didn’t stop there. She found Sharon sitting in the same place as when Phoebe left, a pencil between her teeth, she sifted through the file after file, skimming over the work with a focused expression that had “do not disturb” tattooed over her forehead. Usually she was on top of who was coming and going in this apartment even before Phoebe’s empathy picked up on someone. But it wasn’t until Phoebe dropped her purse on the table near the door that Sharon even bothered to look up.

“Hey,” Sharon said, her voice weak and tired.

“You need rest,” Phoebe said firmly, walking into the open kitchen layout. The sink had no dishes which meant she hadn’t eaten. The only thing sitting on the table aside from files was a half drank bottle of water. “And eat something.”

“People are dying.”

Before Phoebe could answer, a twinge hit her stomach. The familiar ringing in her ears ascended into an echo that bounced off the neurons in her brain, speeding up their firing rate, kickstarting her enhanced senses. Phoebe picked up on Steve’s presence before his footsteps made it to their floor. She ran – yes, ran – to the door. Wide smile and sparkling eyes greeted him when he opened the door.

“There’s my gir- _oh!_ ” Steve barely made it inside before Phoebe wrapped her legs around his waist, forcing him to drop his duffle bag to catch her. “Well,” he chuckled, “I’d say I was missed.”

“That’s an understatement,” Sharon muttered, eyeing the two.

Phoebe ignored that and kissed him hard, swallowing his groan as her tongue slipped into his mouth. Steve smiled returned the kiss, then pulled away, resting his forehead against hers.

“Welcome home, soldier,” Phoebe said, her voice a meaningful hum. Her nostrils were happily overwhelmed by his musky sweet scent as she pulled him close. Steve sighed into her embrace, inhaling her vanilla and honey perfume that she knew he missed so dearly.

***  
**_Steve_**

He was gone for seventeen days. That was sixteen nights he spent alone in a sleeping bag in the middle east. Sure he had Clint and Natasha, but they weren’t Phoebe. They could not compare to his routine at home. He’d lay his head in the crook of Phoebe’s neck, resting both hands over her stomach just below her belly button. He would twirl the chains of her belly piercing as he drifted off while Phoebe traced the veins in his hand and forearm until she succumbed to her own exhaustion. They were living a domesticated life, and he enjoyed every second of it. When he considered his future now, he wasn’t nervous or afraid. He was excited. Excited that he would have Phoebe. All that was missing was his German shepherd and three kids running in the front yard playing.

“We tried,” Steve said against her forehead. He pulled her cheek to his lips, kissing it tenderly before pulling away to look at her. “I’m so sorry we couldn’t find anything. I know you and Sharon have been working really hard on this.”

“We have. But I may have a lead.” Phoebe glanced down at the files. “Tony’s old bodyguard was in the Chinese Theater following a guy named Aldrich Killian’s men. He’s in critical condition.”

“Oh god,” Steve gasped, a look of upset on his face. “Is he going to be okay?”

“He’s in a medically induced coma. Something about brain swelling and needing to put him under to let his body rest.”

Steve sat down, eyes wandering around the room while his vocal cords seemed to malfunction. The Mandarin was hitting closer to home. Soon, he would be hitting the Avengers right where they lived unless they did something to stop him.

“I’m going to leave you two be for a while. I’m gonna try to get some rest before I fall over,” Sharon said.

“Don’t forget to eat,” Phoebe reminded her.

“Yes mom.”

Steve waved goodbye to Sharon then turned back to Phoebe. “Where did this lead of yours come from?”

“Do you remember seeing a Colonel James Rhodes on TV lately?”

Steve thought for a moment before the comical lightbulb flashed. “War Machine, right? Oh rather, _Iron Patriot_.” The rebranding was a cheap knock off of Captain America’s uniform, and Steve wasn’t a fan. “AIM did a terrible rebranding job.”

“That’s beside the point,” Phoebe said, then stopped. “Wait. Did you say AIM?”

Steve frowned, nodding. “Why?”

“Because… we may have found our missing link to the Mandarin.” Phoebe opened her laptop, going straight to Google. Steve hovered behind her chair, one hand pressed on the table and the other on her chair as she googled AIM.

_AIM – About 4,600,000 results (.54 seconds)_

_Aldrich Killian, founder of AIM announces the newly rebranded Iron Patriot…._

“Aldrich Killian is the founder of AIM,” Phoebe said.

“And Happy was following one of Killian’s men,” Steve recalled from earlier.

Phoebe looked worried as stared at a photo of Killian. She steadied one hand over Steve’s and looked at him with pleading eyes. “I have to get to California.”

Steve raised a brow. “How do you plan to go to California while on protective custody with a SHIELD agent living next door?”

“I don’t know. You’re Captain America. I tell you the problem and you figure out our play. It’s generally how the Avengers work.”

“Except the Avengers aren’t here. It’s just us right now.”

Phoebe looked at him pointedly. “You know we’re going to need their help.”

Steve took a seat next to her. “Maybe, but like I said… you are in protective custody. I can’t just let you go to California.”

“You’re kidding. It’s my best friend, Steve. I have to help him!”

“I’m not letting you go to California _alone_. I’m coming with you.” A small grin appeared on Steve’s face.

“Oh,” she said, lips pressed together. “Can we just forget my little outburst and move on to the makeup kisses?”

Steve smirked, moving forwards to tangle his fingers through her hair. “Already forgotten,” he murmured, then pressed his lips against hers in a sweet kiss.

Phoebe smiled as they pulled away from each other. “How are we getting to California? I can’t levitate across the country, and definitely not with a passenger.”

At that, Steve grinned and reached into his pocket for his phone. “We call in a favor.”

The next day, around early morning, a quinjet landed on their rooftop with the hatch wide open and Natasha leaning against a railing in her Avengers gear.

“Get in bitch, we’re going to California,” Natasha called out to Phoebe with a grin.

“Language, Agent,” Steve warned sternly.

Phoebe laughed and put a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “Easy, babe. It’s a movie quote. Also, women who are close call each other that as a sign of affection.”

Steve set his shield in its special compartment on the quinjet before turning back to Phoebe, a puzzled look on his face. “Back in my day, you only called the people you didn’t like that word. I guess that’s why I have you around to keep me straight,” he said with a vague smile.

“And I thought you kept her around for the blowjobs,” Natasha muttered as she sat down in the passenger seat.

Steve felt the blush creep up his neck as he looked at Phoebe with wide eyes. “You told her about that?”

“We’re girls,” was Phoebe’s only defense.

“That’s such a cop out,” Clint hissed from the pilot’s seat. He turned to look at Steve. “Don’t worry, Cap. Us men will stick together.”

“Thanks, Barton, but we need to get to California before Fury knows he has a bird missing,” Steve said. He was in full Captain America mode now.

“Oh, he already knows,” Natasha chuckled. “But he can’t do anything about it while we’re in stealth mode.”

“Stealth mode?” Phoebe echoed.

“Tony suggested it after New York,” Clint said. “Wheels up!”

Natasha, Steve and Phoebe reached for anything to keep them ground as the jet took off into the sky. Once they were leveled, the three of them relaxed.

“So, I hear the big guy’s pretty wrecked,” Natasha said. She almost sounded sympathetic for him. Almost.

“I don’t know how he’s gonna feel about the whole team attacking him at once,” Phoebe admitted. “The last thing I want to do is trigger him.”

“While we’ve got nothing else better to do, we should do a differential on the Mandarin case.”

Steve watched the light come back to Phoebe’s eyes at Natasha. It made his heart swell to see her happy. It was hard on her, he knew, being forced to stay within the radius Fury gave her. She could go to the Triskelion, the gym, the grocery store, and church. It was almost like house arrest. All for her protection, Steve had to tell himself on more than one occasion during one of Phoebe’s tearful moments. But now she was out and about with something meaningful to-

Crap.

“Phoebe, your tracker,” Steve breathed, kneeling in front of her and rolling up her sleeve to her forearm.

“Oh, damn it! I totally forgot,” Phoebe said exasperatedly. “We need something sharp, but sterile.”

Natasha grabbed the medical kit and handed it to Steve. “You have a tracker?” she asked, sounding surprised.

“It lets Fury know if she’s gone beyond the radius. Trust me, I was not thrilled about it,” Steve growled. He felt for the tracker under her skin. “This is going to hurt.”

Phoebe closed her eyes. “Do it.”

Steve frowned and cut into her skin. Phoebe’s body was already trying to heal itself, the purple tissue cells fighting to try to seal the wound. He had to make a long cut so he had more time to dig the tracker out. Once he felt the square object he tugged, and the tracker flung out of her body and landed on the center table, flashing red repeatedly.

“That doesn’t look good,” Natasha said, making a face. She took the tracker and smashed it under her shoe. “There. Stealth mode should have helped, but just in case.”

Phoebe glanced at the wound. It was closed, now just a small, red scratch. “Thanks for remembering that.”

“How could I forget? I could’ve chewed nails I was so ticked off,” Steve said with a grimace.

“He is really worried about Strucker. More than I am,” Phoebe explained. Steve remained silent. He was adamant that was no excuse to put a tracker in someone without their knowledge. She was told it was a new advancement in getting entrance to the Triskelion. It was only after it was installed did Sharon tell her it was a tracker, having grown close to both Steve and Phoebe during her assignment. Steve marched into headquarters ready to resign and take Phoebe to a remote island in Fiji as far away from SHIELD as he could.

“Worried is one thing. Being paranoid is another,” Steve reasoned.

Phoebe gave him a look of understanding and nodded. She rested her head against his suit, sighing into the padding. “Let me know when we get there?”

“Of course, sweetheart.” Steve pressed a gentle kiss to her palm of her hand and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close so she could use him as a pillow. Within minutes the girl was out cold, and Steve felt guilt flood his heart for not making her rest more.

“You have guilt face,” Natasha said, coming up next to him.

“She’s exhausted.”

Natasha looked down at Phoebe, tilting her head. She looked peaceful and content to be right where she was in Steve’s arms. “She’s been working a lot on the Mandarin, decrypting the transmissions with no success. You know how she is. She won’t stop unless someone stops her.”

“Still. It’s my job to make sure she is cared for,” Steve said, and he let out a sharp breath. He was supposed to make sure things like this didn’t happen.

“We’ll land in two hours,” Clint said.

***  
**_Natasha_**

“It’s not your fault, Steve. Why don’t you rest? You look like crap. And I’m putting it nicely,” Natasha said before getting up and sitting with Clint in the passenger seat. “Need me to take over?”

Clint shook his head, the brave spy. He looked just as tired as the rest of them, but he had heart. “I’m good. You can get some kip if you need to.”

Natasha frowned. She opened the file on the Mandarin. “Okay. 9 bombings. No forensic evidence. The only lead we have – which still needs to be confirmed – is that Tony’s friend Happy was following Aldrich Killian’s colleague into the Theater moments before it was bombed.”

“Why was this Killian guy at Stark Industries?” Clint asked.

“I don’t know. But I think that’s the first thing we need to ask Pepper when we touched down.”

“I feel more like a detective than a spy,” Clint chuckled. “It’s kind of cool.”

“And you’re kind of a dork,” Natasha said. She turned around to tell Steve their next move, but she closed her mouth.

Steve was out cold along with Phoebe, his head rested on top of hers. Natasha grinned and got out her phone, snapping a quick picture.

“That’s evil,” Clint muttered to her.

Natasha looked at him. “I am a woman of many talents.”

Clint smirked, eyes glued to the sky. “Don’t I know it.”

Natasha heard the vibrations of her tablet from her bag, and she walked over to it to pull the device out.

_You need to see this. It’s up to the Avengers to stop him now.  
-Foxtrot_

Inside the message was a CNN news feed, and Tony’s picture was plastered all over the screen. Natasha played the video.

“Mr. Stark, when is somebody gonna kill this guy?” A male reporter asked just as Tony opened the door to his car. Tony turned slowly, angrily. “Just sayin’,” the man added with a loose smile.

Tony didn’t look amused. In fact, he looked like he was ready to ring the reporter’s neck, and everyone else who was shoving their cameras and microphones at him. “Is that what you want?” Tony asked, little humor in his voice.

Then, Tony began shifting his body to gaze at all the cameras, like he was preparing to do something special for them. The tone of his voice sent a shiver down Natasha’s spine. “Here’s a little holiday greeting I’ve been wanting to send to the Mandarin. I just didn’t know how to phrase it until now. My name is Tony Stark and I’m not afraid of you. Neither is SHIELD not the Avengers. We all know men like you. You’re a coward. There’s no politics here. No government. No SHIELD. No Avengers. Just good old-fashioned revenger. You versus me. You just died, pal. I’m gonna come get the body. On the off chance that you are man enough, here’s my home address. 10880 Malibu Point. 90265. I’ll leave the door unlocked.”

Tony’s face was nothing but pure, unadulterated anger. His eyes bore into the camera when he removed his sunglasses, and his lips quivered as they spoke. She’d never seen such hatred seeping through his pores. He was gearing up for a fight.

And Fury wants the Avengers to stop him.


	3. Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers make it to California. Tony deciphers the Chinese Theater crime scene.

***  
**_Tony_**

 _I just threatened a terrorist,_ Tony thought, shaking his head wildly.

It could’ve been the fact he hasn’t slept in 48 hours or just the mere fact that he was in a fit of anger over Happy, but he did, in fact, threaten the Mandarin. Tony sped through every light, intersection, and roundabout to get back to his mansion, fearing that in the time he left the hospital, the Mandarin got his message. He didn’t even think about Pepper’s safety when he did it.

_Stupid._

When he walked through the door, he ordered JARVIS to initiate a full-security lockdown. He was almost to the workshop door when the clanking of Pepper’s sandals echoed down the spiral stairway. He pushed open the door and she followed right behind, eyes on fire and a hand on her hip.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Pepper snapped. Tony winced. He could almost feel the heat rising off her body. “You threaten a terrorist and give him our home address? I can’t believe you!” A pause. “You know what, nevermind. I can believe it, actually.”

“Honey, I know how it sounds-” Tony was stopped with a sharp glare.

“Don’t ‘honey’ me. This is serious business, Tony. Now we have to pack and get the hell out of here before our mail gets covered in Anthrax or our house is set on fire.” Pepper was visibly shaken – in her voice and her gestures. Tony sighed, and Pepper shook her head before leaving the workshop, muttering that she needed air.

“Full lockdown has completed,” JARVIS said. “I’ve also compiled a Mandarin database using SHIELD, FBI, and CIA intercepts.”

“Thanks, buddy,” Tony said quietly, still reeling from Pepper’s explosion. Part of him wanted to follow her upstairs, but he needed to focus. He needed to figure out if there was a pattern to these attacks before it was too late. Or worse… before the Avengers picked up on it.

Tony didn’t mind the team. Steve was, well, Steve, Natasha was sneaky but very good at her job, Clint was damn good with a bow and arrow, Thor’s lighting strikes sure helped in a pinch, Bruce was helpful with logistics while Hulk was great at smashing, and Phoebe was pretty powerful when she set her mind to it and focused. It wasn’t a bad group. He just wasn’t ready to see them. Not even Phoebe.

Rhodey was right. It was a government problem, not a superhero problem, so they shouldn’t even be working it. Yet SHIELD had files on the Mandarin, showing that they were at least helping the government with decoding the transmissions and trying to get a location.

“Initiating virtual crime scene reconstruction,” JARVIS announced as Tony picked up a holographic block containing the Chinese Theater crime scene and expanding it.

Tony was about to examine the crime scene when he heard footsteps coming from upstairs. “J, I thought we were on full lockdown.”

“It seems my protocols have been bypassed.”

“By who?”

“Miss Phoebe Reynolds, sir. She’s brought along Captain Rogers as well as Agents Romanov and Barton.”

Tony growled under his breath, slamming a fist on the table. Then the dizziness started. “No, they can’t be here. They can’t- they can’t- oh god.”

Tony jumped out of his chair and crawled to the nearest corner as the oxygen dissipated from his lungs. He began hyperventilating, feeling his chest squeezing like a pop top ready to go. Every attempt at breathing was excruciating. The room spun, and he closed his eyes, praying for it to stop, but it didn’t. The attack continued until he was lying on the ground gasping for air for what seemed like hours.

***  
**_Phoebe_**

_Misery. Fear. Anxiety._

“Tony’s in trouble,” Phoebe said. She let his emotions follow her to the workshop, where she saw Tony lying on the ground. “JARVIS, let me inside,” she said. JARVIS clicked the workshop doors open and Phoebe ran to Tony, kneeling next to him. “Tony, it’s me. It’s Phoebe.”

“Go… away,” Tony hissed as his breathing steadily returned.

“Nice try,” Phoebe mumbled, and she helped him sit upright. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

“Worth a shot,” Tony said without looking at her. He held his head between his knees. “What are you doing here? And why are they here?” he asked, eyeing the stairs.

“We need to talk to Pepper,” Phoebe said. She bent to help him up, but he gave a very stern look that she knew meant ‘don’t touch me’. She retreated, putting her hands at her sides. Tony stood himself up, leaning against the wall weakly. “I know you’re not okay, so I won’t even bother asking. But I would like to ask what possessed you to give your address to a goddamn terrorist.”

“Was that even a question?” Tony shot back.

Phoebe glared at him. “Why are you doing this? You’re a mess. A huge, twisted, loopdie-looped mess and you won’t even let me near you to help. You haven’t treated me like this since…” she trailed off then, deciding it was better not to bring it up. “It’s been a while,” she said quietly.

Tony looked at her, eyes glassy and red-shot. The purple bags under his eyes made his eyes look even more exhausted coupled with the paleness of his face. “Don’t you think I know that I’m such a mess? Huh, Phoebe?”

_Anger. Agitation._

“I can feel that,” Phoebe responded quietly.

“Good ‘cause I’m doing it on purpose! I don’t need you or our boy band of a team storming into my house and telling me what is and isn’t right!”

***  
**_Tony_**

“Tony.”

“What?!” he hissed, not caring who it was. He flailed an arm up, triggering an arm from one of his suits to detach. It flung straight towards Pepper. Phoebe held out a hand and froze the arm in mid-air inches before it hit Pepper in the head.

Tony looked at his hand, then at Pepper, who had a hand over her mouth, her eyes watering. Phoebe grabbed at her heart.

 “Do something, Tony,” Phoebe begged.

“Pepper, honey, I didn’t mean to do that,” Tony called out, following her up the flight of stairs in a hurry.

“I come downstairs to apologize to you and to beg you to let the Avengers help and that’s what I get?” Pepper yelled, her back turned away from him. They were ascending to their bedroom now.

Tony was exasperated and desperate. “It was an accident. A sensory malfunction with the suit…”

“The malfunction is you, Tony.” Pepper turned to him then and pointed a finger. “I love you. God, do I ever. But I can’t do this. I’m sorry, Tony. I handled you being Iron Man since the day you announced it. But now it’s like Iron Man is it. Tony is gone. And I miss him. I don’t want to be with Iron Man. I want to be with Tony.”

Tony swallowed. He _is_ Iron Man. He’s also Tony.

Isn’t he?

“What can I do? Tell me, sweetheart.” Tony urgently grabbed her hands and held them to his arc reactor. “I can get rid of this. I can get the surgery that I’ve been putting off. I can sleep more. I can quit the Avengers. Just tell me.”

Pepper wavered for a moment, eyes darting everywhere except his direction, making him even more nervous than he already was. He felt like he was on the edge of a cliff and Pepper’s answer was the key to whether he jumped or stayed still. Finally, she looked at him and said, “I want you to get help.”

“Professional help?” Tony asked for clarification. Pepper nodded. “Okay. After the Mandarin is taken care of, I’ll find someone. I can do that.” Pepper leaned forward into his embrace and he sighed, fingering her hair lightly. “I can do that,” he whispered to himself, closing his eyes briefly to keep the tears from falling.

It was a step. That’s all that mattered.

“You need to get out of here,” Tony said, pulling her away and walking to their closet. He grabbed her suitcase and tossed it on the bed. “I’ll get the jet ready. They’ll fly you somewhere remote where no one can find you.” Pepper stood as Tony nervously packed her belongings.

“I agree, but you’re coming with me. Maybe we can take that trip to Jamaica we’ve been planning,” Pepper said, grabbing one of her bras from his hand and folding it into the bag, smiling devilishly. Tony noted that she was suddenly very calm. He wasn’t sure what to make of that yet.

Tony smiled and gave Pepper a long, slow kiss. “I adore you,” he mumbled, pulling away. “But I’m pretty sure my future therapist is going to tell me that I am supposed to face my fears head-on. And if I have to do that, that means I have to stay here with the Avengers.”

Worried features covered Pepper’s face.  “You’ll be in danger.”

“I’m already in danger. I’m in love,” he replied smoothly, grinning. Pepper gave him a stern look and he sighed, taking her hands and holding them together. “Listen. I will be fine. God knows Phoebe won’t let anything happen to me – the pain in the ass that she is, and the others are pretty good at saving people, so I’d say I’m in good hands. Okay?”

“Okay,” Pepper finally agreed after a minute.

“Square deal,” Tony said before pulling her in for a kiss.

***  
**_Phoebe_**

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Steve asked Phoebe. He was rubbing her temples with a feather-light touch while she sat on the floor in front of him.

“I’m fine. Really. Pepper’s emotions were just… vibrant,” Phoebe replied. She kept her eyes closed, wanting to remember Steve’s touch. He had magic hands, whether he was massaging her temples, her arms, or back, he was attuned to her needs. It was beautiful. Like having the missing half of her perfect puzzle.

Tony came down the stairs, looking much more put together than they had seen earlier. “Team.”

“Tony,” Steve greeted, letting go of Phoebe’s temples. “I’m sorry for just dropping by.”

“It’s fine. Well, not really, but whatever. It’s probably good that you’re here. Phoebe mentioned you need to talk to Pepper. She’s upstairs if one of you wants to talk with her,” Tony said. Natasha offered. “Second door on your right,” he told her. Natasha nodded and headed up the stairs. “Alright, team. Let’s try to figure out what makes this monster get out of bed in the morning.”

The team congregated around the workshop where the crime scene was still open. Tony pulled up every file on the Mandarin and tossed the hologram to Phoebe who opened it up for the team to see.

“This guy wants to be noticed,” Tony started. “He wants to be seen, heard, and remembered, but there’s something missing. Take the name. Mandarin. It’s ancient Chinese meaning advisor to the king.”

“He’s working for someone,” Steve said.

“We think it’s that guy Pepper met with. Aldrich Killian. But we can’t say for sure,” Clint said.

 “J, who accompanied Killian to Pepper’s meeting?” Tony asked.

“The man listed himself as Eric Savin, Aldrich Killian’s bodyguard,” JARVIS said.

Tony frowned. “Look what Happy is looking at.” He pulled up a close-up containing dog tags and expanded it. The name on the tag appeared as TAGGART. Not Savin. “So that’s one military person. Now look at this reading,” he said, and he pulled up the thermogenic readings. “Same as the Mandarin attacks. It’s in Rose Hill, TN.”

 “Ton, your thinking cap’s on,” Phoebe warned. “I told you how silly you looked in that thing. What’s on your mind?”

“I think we need to go to Tennessee. Find out more on this Chad Davis guy,” Tony said, pointing to the location. “Ever been, Cap?”

“A few times on the USO tour. It was alright,” Steve said with a casual shrug.

“Wait, we can’t go yet. We have to wait for Nat,” Clint said.

“Pepper says she met with Killian and he was talking about something called Extremis,” Natasha said upon entering the lab.

Tony’s eyes widened. “Extremis? Are you sure?”

“Positive. Why?” Natasha asked.

“Because I’ve heard of Extremis. But not from Killian.”

Then his doorbell rang.


	4. Explosion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony's mansion gets blown up. Steve has a close call.

***  
**_Steve_**

Her name was Maya Hansen.

At least, that’s who Tony said she was. If everything he said was true, then she was a botanist who used plants to test her genetic coding program.

Extremis.

“So, how long have you worked for the Mandarin?” Tony snarked with a quirked brow.

The blurb caught Maya completely off guard and for a moment, she looked like she was going to be sick. The moment passed, and she walked up to Stark, meeting his eyes with a bold glare.

“I don’t work for the Mandarin,” she said. “But I’m pretty sure my boss does.”

“Let me guess… Aldrich Killian,” Steve said. Maya didn’t answer, but she didn’t have to. Her facial expression told him what he needed to know.

“Well, I guess we can confirm our theory now,” Natasha said with a shrug.

“Great, theory confirmed. Now can we get out of here before we’re all vaporized?” Maya asked impatiently.

“You put yourself here,” Tony said, an accusing finger pointing to her. “The only one leaving is Pepper. She is getting as far away from this as possible.”

“Great. I’ll drive,” Maya said, reaching for Pepper’s bags. She was a little too eager to leave, raising Steve’s suspicions.

“Wait.” Steve held up a hand to stop her. “Why are you in such a hurry to get out of town?”

Maya froze. All eyes looked at her and waited. “I told you. My boss is working for the Mandarin and I don’t want to be part of it. I would think you guys wouldn’t want to be either.”

“You sold Extremis so Killian could use it on the Mandarin, didn’t you?” Tony asked.

“Not exactly. Look, we really need to go. I can explain everything on the way.”

“No one’s going anywhere until _you_ start talking,” Steve hissed, raising his voice.

***  
**_Phoebe_**

The tension in the room was killing her. She needed air. Her eyes wandered around the mansion walls, stopping at the holographic TV. On the news channel, Tony’s mansion was pictured, and something fast headed straight for the living room.

“Guys!” Phoebe yelled, causing everyone to turn in her direction. “Run!”

It was a nuke just like New York. Phoebe gulped and immediately looked for Steve, who was already running towards her.

“Romanoff!” Steve called out, tossing his shield at her as he grabbed Phoebe and shoved her to the ground.

Natasha grabbed Clint and they hunkered under the shield as the nuke exploded.

Phoebe felt the fear of everyone in the room plus her own thrumming against her eardrums. They were screaming inside her head, and she let out a weak cry. Steve didn’t budge under her, using his strong arms to cover as much of her head as possible. She could faintly see Maya, Pepper, and Tony flying backward. Tony flung his arms towards Pepper and the next thing she saw was gold and red capturing Pepper like a glove as she hit the wall. Phoebe managed to get her hands free from Steve and she closed her fists briefly before releasing them. They were coated in a purple aura as she tossed two energy balls that expanded outward, encasing Tony and Maya in a bubble moments before they hit the wall. They fell to the floor with a light thud, the force fields vanishing into thin air under them.

Smoke burned Phoebe eyes as Steve looked down at her. “Are you hurt?” he asked, his voice muffled over the blast.

Phoebe’s ears rung like a bell at the strung of twelve. She wasn’t sure if she was hurt. Blinking through watery eyes, she felt her ear, a liquid substance pouring out of it. Blood. Phoebe looked around the room for the rest of her team, but it was hard to see. The air was heavy and thick with smoke and burning wood. A crackle could be heard above them. The ceiling caved, and a chunk of drywall collapsed, ready to slam into Tony. Pepper lunged and protected him, holding up a hand to absorb the impact with the armor.

Phoebe’s hearing slowly came back just in time to hear Steve say, “I count three helicopters outside. They’re armed with heavy artillery. We gotta move now!”

“Like I said, we can’t stay here,” Tony groaned, standing up. “Natasha, get Maya and Pepper out of here.”

“No! I’m not going anywhere,” Pepper insisted over the whoosh of the choppers.

“Stop stopping! Go!” Tony cried out to her, and he shoved Pepper towards the door. Natasha grabbed Maya and headed for the exit. Pepper was slowly behind them, constantly turning her head to look at Tony through the Iron Man helmet. “Go!” he said for a final time, and Pepper knew he needed her to go.

Pepper ran for the exit.

“You should go with them,” Steve told Phoebe, looking at her ear with worry in his eyes. It was already healing, but Phoebe admitted that she had a few bruises that wouldn’t be disappearing any time soon.

“No way. I’m staying,” Phoebe whispered, and she kissed him on his dust-covered lips briefly.

Clint was already on the edge of the mansion leaning against a window pane. He made a few adjustments to his arrows and sent one into the air. It landed on the chopper before blowing it to smithereens. “One down,” he said.

The ground shook beneath them, radial cracks splitting between Phoebe’s feet and stopping right at Clint. She barely had time to make a molecular rope and wrap it around Clint’s torso to pull him back before the second set of explosions flew in. Clint smacked against Tony’s futon and rolled backward, breaking the rope. Phoebe felt herself flying at great speed, then a painful twinge in her back. Dust slipped into her lungs as she gasped, tasting blood on her lips. She blinked, noticing Steve was stuck under a pile of debris, blood running out of his ear. He wasn’t moving.

No, this wasn’t happening.

“ _STEVE_!” The force of Phoebe’s scream sent a sonic wave rippling through the air molecules strong enough to push the debris out from Steve’s ribs. What the- she closed her mouth almost immediately, stopping to process what happened.

A new power? Now? Phoebe moved through the smoke and rubble to get to Steve, remembering that Tony mentioned her powers were limitless and she just needed to find a way to access them.

JARVIS’s AI was miraculously unscathed, for now. “Sir, Miss Romanoff, Miss Hansen, and Miss Potts are clear of the structure.”

Tony climbed to a standing position, limping as he did, and pulled his arms out and towards himself. The Iron Man suit came flying in and wrapped itself around Tony’s frame.

Phoebe swirled a big purple energy ball in her hands and she pushed it outward, breaking the glass as it hurdled towards the second chopper, but the pilot dodged it. Steve threw his shield at the chopper. The vibranium alloy niched itself in the engine, causing a bright explosion. The remains of the chopper spiraled into the mansion, and Tony fire a repulsorblast to move away himself from the crash. Steve hurried and grabbed his shield before the remains caved into the ocean.

Steve searched for Clint, finding him climbing over the debris to get to the rest of the team. “Get her out of here!”

“What? No!” Phoebe cried, coughing as she gripped Steve hard. “You have to come with me!”

“I have to help Tony. I can’t do that if you’re here.” Phoebe shook her head and used her powers plant herself into the ground like a magnet. Steve frowned, and leaned forward, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. “Please, baby. I’ll be right behind you, I promise!”

Phoebe knew she had to go. Just by staying in the disaster zone, she was creating friction. Steve couldn’t be worried about her and help Tony at the same time, so she left her men in the collapsing mansion and shut down her powers, shutting herself down in the process.

***  
**_Steve_**

“Stark! Tony, where are you?!” Steve called out, his voice echoing through the hallowed building. He ran blindly throughout the building, dodging debris that came flying towards him as he searched for Tony. Glass shard sliced through his legs and arms, dust-covered his skin, burning through his eyes until he was forced to shut them. He couldn’t see worth a damn, but he went with his gut. Finally, a repulsorblast appeared through blurry eyes. Steve frowned and turned, seeing the chunk of wall that would have smashed him to pieces if not for Iron Man, who was desperately hanging on to a railing with one hand.

Steve steadied himself as best he could and jammed his shield into the ground. He held on to the brown leather grip, lowering himself to reach his other hand to Tony. “Grab my hand!”

Iron Man looked through his metal eyes, and even then, Steve could see the fear in Tony’s eyes as he tried to reach him.

It was too late. A final blast hit the lower end of the mansion, sending them both hurtling towards the ocean. Steve gasped and held his breath, instinctively shutting his eyes on impact.

Steve remembered what it was like in the water after he crashed the Valkyrie. Drowning was not something he ever wanted to face again. But here he was, lying on the floor of the ocean, sand crawling in his suit from him struggling to lift the chunk of Tony’s mansion that trapped him underwater with no way out. He could hold his breath for up to five minutes if he had to, but he didn’t take a big enough breath before falling in. He was quickly running out of air. He struggled against a piece of rebar and drywall, bashing it harder and harder, exerting himself more and more. He peered over at Iron Man, who had a coil wrapped around his neck, the sounds of Tony gasped in the armor telling Steve that there was a leak in the structure. Steve felt his lungs burning with the urge to take a breath. He released another breath to ease the tension in his lungs and heaved the rebar as hard as he could, with every strength left in him. The rebar lifted, and he pulled himself out, but water had already begun to seep into his lungs. Blood pumped through his neck to his ears, his vision going black. He felt the flashbacks of 1945 attack him, stilling his movements.

_Steve…_

Steve opened his eyes. Bucky?

_Phoebe needs you._

Phoebe…

_Come on, pal. Take my hand._

Steve blinked through the blur where Bucky's angelic form hovered over him.

_Take my hand, Steve._

Steve reached forward, her pale, glowing hand wrapping around his as she pulled. Bucky smiled and tilted his head, his eyes twinkling with a golden light that made Steve feel warm and peaceful. A faint smile appeared on his face as he chest was free from the rebar and he floated upward.

*** ** _  
Phoebe_**

The last time Phoebe felt this much fear, she had been kidnapped and tortured.

This was more painful.

Clint had been in the water for over thirty minutes searching for Tony and Steve before a signal came in the form of a rasped whistle. Phoebe glanced over the cliff, seeing Clint waving down at her with an unconscious Steve slung around his shoulder.

Phoebe sighed with relief, the pounding her chest slowing back to normal. “Hang on!” She held out her hands and levitated them both upwards until they landed on the ground with a soft thud. “Oh my god,” she gasped, hovering over Steve.

“Come on, man,” Clint huffed. He started CPR. “Not today, pal. Not today…”

“What about Stark?” Natasha asked.

Clint continued CPR on Steve. “I couldn’t find him. I’m sorry, Phoebe,” he said in her direction.

Natasha’s face twisted into a small frown, and she nodded. “I’ll go tell Pepper.”

Phoebe collapsed, tears falling down her cheeks. No. Her best friend was _not_ dead. Tony was alive. He was alive, and Steve is going to be okay. She refused to believe anything else.

Steve coughed up gulps of water then, and Clint turned him on his side so he could expel the rest. Phoebe sighed heavily.

“Phoebe,” Steve coughed softly as he looked around. “I saw Bucky. He told me that you needed me and that I had to come back to you.”

Phoebe’s resolve faded into a warm smile. “He did?” A crack in her voice as she spoke. “Well, he was right. I’m always going to need my Captain.”

Steve smiled weakly and Phoebe leaned down to embrace him. “I love you,” he whispered into her hair.

Phoebe nodded, understanding. “I love you,” she repeated back with as much passion in her voice.

“And Tony?” Steve asked, sitting up gently.

Phoebe shook her head. “Clint couldn’t find him.”

Steve’s eyes hardened. “No,” he mumbled, and he stood up without warning, ignoring the wince in his chest. “Tony’s alive. He got out. And we know exactly where he’s going.”

Rose Hill, Tennessee.


	5. Spazzed Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers find Tony in the midst of a battle with survivors of Extremis.

***  
**_Tony_**

He wanted to be on his own. Now he is.

With a ten-year-old kid named Harley.

The kid was a pain in the ass. If he wasn’t asking a bunch of questions about the Avengers, he was taunting him about New York, the wormhole, and the aliens. It was an issue he really needed to work on, he knew that. He told the kid to shove it, to keep his lips shut about it, but at the mention of the aliens and their possible return, Tony lost all thought processes.

He staggered through the snow-covered road, collapsing on all fours near the corner of main street. He swallowed hard as his lungs seized. The cold air seeped into his bones as he dipped his hands into the snow and pushed it against his face. It was a welcoming relief.

“What the hell was that?”

Tony crumpled the snow into a half-ass ball and tossed it at him. “Your fault. You spazzed me out.” Harley looked like he was about to apologize when Tony spoke again. “Back to business. Chad Davis. Relatives? Mrs. Davis, where is she now?”

Harley shrugged. “Where she always is.”

“See, now you’re being helpful.”

Harley pointed him in the direction of the local bar where Mrs. Davis frequented. It was a nice little dive bar for being in the middle of nowhere. Homey. Quaint. The cheesy Christmas ornament strung along the bar’s rectangular counter was a cozy touch, though Tony was used to his mother’s traditional ornaments that he hung on his little faux tree every year.

Tony ordered a drink, though he forced himself not to drink it. Just for show, he decided. Quit drinking was another promise to Pepper that he was going to add to the list.

“Mrs. Davis? Mind if I join you?” he asked.

Mrs. Davis looked at him, indifferent. “Free country,” she mumbled, taking the glass to her lips.

“Sure is,” Tony said as he sat down.

Mrs. Davis’s demeanor changed suddenly, and she was leaning back in her chair, hard eyes focused directly on his. “So, where would you like to start?”

As sympathetic as he could without being overly emotional, Tony said, “I just want to say I’m sorry for your loss. I want to know what you think happened.”

Tony waited. And waited. Mrs. Davis considered him for a long moment, but then she slammed a file in front of him. “Look, I brought your damn file. Take it and go.” Tony’s eyes fell to the file. “Whatever was in there, he wanted no part of it.”

That… didn’t go as expected.

“Clearly you’re waiting for someone else. Supposed to meet someone here?”

“Yeah,” Mrs. Davis said quietly, furrowed brows.

Tony frowned and took a closer look at the file. It didn’t take long for Tony to make the connection he was hoping for. Chad Davis was linked to the dog tags found at the Chinese Theater with the name Taggart on them. They served together in a special ops mission.

He felt an overwhelming urge to be completely upfront with Chad’s mother. “Mrs. Davis, your son didn’t kill himself. I guarantee you, he didn’t kill anyone. Someone used him.”

It could because she was drunk, but Mrs. Davis needed another minute to fully process what Tony said before she asked, “What?”

“As a weapon.”

Tony watched helplessly from the table as Mrs. Davis unraveled in front of him. Cold, shaky hands reached out for Tony’s. “You’re not the person that called me after all, are you?”

A hard thud hit their table, surprising Chad’s mother. It was a police badge. “Actually, I am,” a woman said. Tony turned.

He examined the badge for the minute second that he could before his arm was pulled behind him and his body thrust against the table, holding him in place. In front of him, Chad’s dog tags were lying on the table. He seized the metallic necklace and shoved it in his pocket before the woman grabbed his arms and cuffed him tight.

An officer approached the table, hands on his hips. “What the hell is this?”

The woman tossed the officer a look. “It’s called an arrest.” Tony was forced to the ground by an incredible force on her end. “Sheriff is it?”

“Yes, ma’am, it is. And you are?”

“Homeland Security. We good here?” The woman retorted.

“No, we’re not _good here_ ,” the Sheriff answered gruffly. “I need a little more information than that.”

Mrs. Davis looked at Tony. She was trembling from where she sat, gripping her scotch on the rocks with a death grip. Tony nodded towards the file. Mrs. Davis understood and tossed the file under a random table before getting up and sneaking out the back door of the bar. Tony was thankful she made it out because he had a bad feeling about this Homeland Security fed.

“I was hoping to do this the smart way, but the fun way is always good,” she said, and her hand glowed orange.

Tony’s eyes grew wide as saucers as he watched her badge smoke in her orange glowing hand. It was Extremis. It was then he made the ultimate connection. Aldrich Killian wasn’t using Extremis on the Mandarin. He was using it on people. And then using them as weapons for the Mandarin using the glitch that Maya still hadn’t completely perfected. It made perfect sense.

The Sheriff cried out in pain as her badge collided with his face, then another scream when her hand lunged straight through his gut. She pulled a gun through his intestines and executed him on the spot.

Tony gulped, moving as fast as he could while cuffed behind his back. Normally, he’d be into this sort of thing – being cuffed and forced on the ground – but right now was _not_ the time or place for that sort of thing.

He hated to admit it, but he could’ve used some backup right about now.

“Tony! Molecura’s here! She’s really here, Tony!” Harley cried out from the corner where he was supposed to stay put. Tony peered around the corner and sighed when he saw the quinjet and the Avengers standing in a fighting position.

“Of course they’re here,” Tony muttered to himself. “Hey, Cap, give me a hand.”

Steve grabbed his wrists and yanked hard, easily freeing Tony from the restraints. “Glad to see you’re not dead.”

“Yeah, you too, Spangles,” Tony said. He meant it. The patriotic bastard really had grown on him.

“Thank god,” Phoebe breathed, lunging forward and jumping in Tony’s arms. She let go of him only to slap him across the face. “You’re an idiot. You can’t keep dying on me and coming back! Pick one, damn it! Preferably the land of the living.”

“It’s great to see you, too, Sparks,” Tony said with a cheap wink and dazzling smile. “We kinda have a situation.”

An exploding car crashed towards the group and Phoebe held her hands in the air, slowing the car long enough for the team to dive out of the way.

“We need to separate them,” Steve said. “Clint and Phoebe, you distract the man. Tony, Natasha, and I will go after the woman.”

“Is there a plan involved or are we just winging it?” Clint asked, getting his bow and arrow ready.

Steve loomed over the remains of the car. “Stay sharp and shoot to kill.”

***  
**_Phoebe_**

The first energy ball she threw didn’t faze the man. She threw a second, and a third, and finally… the fourth one sent him flying into a nearby building, bricks clattering around him. Clint fired multiple explosive arrows on the building, causing more of the bricks to collapse. When the dust settled, the man stood, his entire body glowing orange, mapping out his veins.

“You gotta be shitting me,” Phoebe cursed with wide eyes. So this is what Extremis was.

Clint looked at Phoebe and grabbed her hand, squeezing it briefly before he charged at the man, turning his arrow into a sparring spear and stabbing the man in the heart. The man hissed, kicking Clint so hard he flew in mid-air, landing on his shoulder with a large thud. Using Extremis, the man heated Clint’s spear until it ignited in an orange aura. He sent the spear back to Clint, but Phoebe froze the spear in place. Phoebe balled her hands into fists, eyes glowing bright purple as she channeled her powers. She focused her energy on the man and flicked her hands, exploding the air molecules in his face. He flipped backward and landing face first on the ground, temporarily unconscious.

“Come on, we should go,” Phoebe said.

“No complaints here,” Clint muttered. He reached for his spear that was still in mid-air, forgetting that it was still hot. He cursed and dropped the spear, letting the snow soak it for a moment before picking it up again. They ran towards Steve and Tony, who were in hand-to-hand combat with the woman.

Steve slammed his shield in the woman’s neck, exposing her spine. Extremis healed the wound before Steve could land another blow to her. She heated the shield so hot that it burned through Steve’s gloves and onto his hands, causing second-degree burns on both hands. Natasha used electromagnetic beads on his wrists to shock her, but she absorbed the electricity and used it to shock Natasha, temporarily incapacitating her.

The woman charged at Tony, who was as defenseless as a cat toy right now. He ran into a building, the woman following right behind him.

Phoebe moved to go after them, but before Clint could warn her, she was hit with a fireball that singed part of her suit. She hissed as the burns sizzled on her back, twinging as her body already worked to heal the wound. She turned and screamed as loud as she could, sending the same sonic wave to the man, where he landed near a water tank. Phoebe then fired a force shield blast that knocked out one of the legs on the tank.

“Not so hot now, are you?” Phoebe quipped.

The man smiled wickedly. “I don’t need heat to kill you.”

From the corner of her eyes, she spotted a gun. Fear consumed her. She vaguely saw Steve’s figure as the man pointed the gun and fired.


	6. Exhaustion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phoebe and the Avengers make a game plan to save Steve and stop the Mandarin. Meanwhile, Tony and Phoebe have a heart to heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***WARNING: I'm sorry in advance to those who are uncomfortable, but I've always felt that Tony had a bisexual nature to him so that is how I portray him in my series.***

*** ** _  
Phoebe_**

Everything was fuzzy. And dark.

“She’s waking up,” a voice said. She knew the voice, but she couldn’t place the name. Why couldn’t she place the name?

She blinked, but her vision remained a blur. The room was bright and cold, and a shiver tickled her spine. Her spine. It hurt. She swallowed and opened her mouth, but no words came out. It felt like someone had dug her vocal cords and shattered them in two.

“You’re okay, Phoebe.”

Tony. It was Tony who was speaking, she pieced together.

“You were shot, but it only grazed your head. You’re gonna be okay.”

Phoebe nodded and reached blindly for him. Tony enclosed his hand in hers and she sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes. “Steve,” she ground out hoarsely. “Where is Steve?”

The room was suddenly very quiet.

“Where is Steve?” she asked again, looking at Tony with painfully alert eyes.

“He jumped in front of you. The range was so close that it went through him and grazed you,” Tony said, his voice low and sympathetic. “Natasha saw both of you go down. But when she got to you, Steve was gone, and you were unconscious. I’m sorry, Phoebe. They took him.”

Phoebe blinked back the prickling tears threatening her eyes. Steve was shot and kidnapped. “We have to find him,” she pleaded.

“We will,” Natasha promised.

“What about the woman?”

“Dead,” Tony said. “I created my own molecular combustion power,” he said with a hint of humor.

Phoebe smiled weakly. “And the kid?”

“I sent him home. The suit’s charging here since there is an actual charging station in the jet,” Tony said. “He was pretty bummed about being let go.”

“You should do something nice for him,” Phoebe suggested. Tony shrugged.

“Uh, guys. The Mandarin struck again,” Clint said, swiveling his tablet so everyone could see.

_“There’s only one lesson left, President Ellis. So, run away, hide, kiss your children goodbye. Because nothing... not your army, not your red white and blue attack dog, not the Avengers can save you now.”_

“I’m making a phone call,” Tony said with gravel in his voice. He reached into his voice and dialed a few buttons. A moment later, Rhodey’s voice was on speaker. “Hey, Rhodey! Last time I went missing, I distinctly remember you came looking for me. What the hell, man?”

“I- Tony? You are one crazy son of a bitch, you know that?”

“Yeah, yeah. So what are you doing?” Tony asked, making light conversation.

Rhodey answered with the same tone. “Just making some friends in Pakistan. What are you doing?”

“Just trying to find the world’s first superhero before he dies. Same old, same old,” Tony said, shrugging.

There was a pause. “Steve’s missing?”

“Yeah… I need your NSC login.”

 “It’s the same as it’s always been. _WarMachine68._ ”

“And password?”

“I have to change it every time you hack into it, Tony.”

Tony groaned. “This isn’t the 80s. No one says ‘hack’ anymore. Login, please, before Phoebe goes demonic on me.”

Rhodey sighed. “WARMACHINEROX with an ‘X’, all caps.”

Everyone in the room erupted into laughter.

Tony snorted. “That… is so much better than Iron Patriot. Thanks, buddy.”

“Keep me updated on the Captain,” Rhodey said before they disconnected.

Tony shuffled through a few servers on the quinjet before finding a private one through JARVIS, who was mostly operational, though his speech interface was slightly off, then typed in Rhodey’s information, and gained access to AIM’s archives. He put the videos on a holographic projector in the center of the quinjet.

On one video, Killian is talking to the Extremis volunteers – specifically, Chad Davis, Ellen Brandt, and Eric Savin. “Once misfits, cripples. You are the next iteration of human evolution…”

A second video entitled, “Injecting Tests Phase 01” showed the beginning stages of Extremis on the human test subjects. Killian’s voice could be heard as an overlay while test subjects lined up, each strapped to a metal board. “I promise you, looking back at your life, there will be nothing as bitter as the memory of that glorious risk you prudently elected to forgo…” _  
“Today is your glory… let us begin!”_

“What’s happening to them?” Natasha asked, gasping at the hologram.

One man’s body was slowly overheating. People fled the scene, grabbing the other subjects and rolling them out of the area. Then, an explosion went off, cutting the video feed.

“It’s the glitch,” Tony said as he typed on the computer.

“What?” Phoebe asked.

“Extremis,” Tony said. “Killian is using these military amputees to create human bombs using Extremis for the Mandarin or for himself, I don’t know.”

“Yeah, about that…” Natasha trailed off.

Tony looked at her. “What?”

“According to Maya, the Mandarin is a decoy. An actor. A cover-up.”

This was getting more and more interesting by the second. Phoebe looked at the screen. “So Killian injects these people with Extremis, and when they glitch they explode like a bomb, and the Mandarin is the cover-up to hide the flaw.”

“Where is Maya now?” Tony asked.

“In SHIELD’s protective custody. She turned herself in. Pepper’s also in protective custody,” Natasha said.

“Good luck with that,” Phoebe muttered with a smirk. Tony tossed her a glare. “I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

“She will be,” Tony said, and that was that. “Hey, JARVIS, did you get a hit on AIM’s secured downlinks yet?”

“Actually sir, I did. The last transmission signal is from Miami, Florida.”

Tony frowned. “Okay, we need to reboot your speech pattern,” he mumbled. “Later.” He looked at the computer to double check the location. It was, in fact, in Miami, Florida. “Uh, okay, then. I guess we’re going to Miami.”

It was decided that the team would take the night to rest, but ultimately only Natasha and Clint slept. Phoebe couldn’t sleep knowing that Steve was out there with Killian. And Tony hasn’t slept in almost 60 hours, so he still had a few more hours left in him until his body just crashed from pure exhaustion.

Right now, Tony was sitting in the pilot seat with the plane on autopilot. Phoebe came up beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He visibly flinched, swirling around and holding a hand at her as if he were firing a repulsorblast.

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s me. It’s Phoebe,” she whispered, rubbing his shoulder.

Tony relaxed, but his eyes were still wide with fear as he settled back into the seat, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. “Oh hey, Sparks. I thought you were sleeping.” Tony wiped his face with his hands, rubbing his eyes roughly.

“I tried. I even tried to settle my own thoughts, but as it turns out, I can’t use my own powers on myself, so… here I am,” Phoebe said, kicking her feet on the dash, avoiding any important buttons.

“We know where he is,” Tony mused. “He’s gonna be okay.”

“I get the first crack at Killian.”

There was silence between the two until Tony cleared his throat. “So, you think this is it?”

Phoebe frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Do you think he’s the one?”

Oh, that. Phoebe smiled. “I hope so.”

Another beat. Tony grinned. “So, what’s Captain America like in bed?”

Phoebe’s eyes grew wide and she smacked his arm lightly. “Tony Stark, how dare you! Just because you swing both ways doesn’t mean you have to ask such vulgar questions.”

Tony snorted, holding his chest and pointing a finger at her. “You haven’t done it yet, have you?” Phoebe blushed wildly and turned away. “I knew it! I knew Cap was still a virgin!”

“Will you shut up? You’re gonna wake them,” Phoebe hissed, gesturing to Clint and Natasha, who were laying side by side on the cots, the blush on her cheeks burning up into her ears.

“I’m sorry,” Tony said mid-laughter. “But come on. How long have you been dating? 8 months, and you guys haven’t…” Tony trailed off, shaking his head. “Wow.”

“We’ve done stuff,” Phoebe defended. “But you know Steve. He’s a gentleman. I don’t even think he’s ever thought of me naked.”

“He’s missing out,” Tony snickered with a wide grin. Phoebe glared at him. “Do you think it’s because he’s such a gentleman? Or do you think there’s more?”

“Mostly, I think it’s because he is a true gentleman. He comes from an era where you only think about that when it involves having children, and he knows we are _nowhere_ near that train.”

Tony frowned. “But? There’s a but.”

Phoebe sighed. “But, there are times I wonder if I’m really enough for him. I can’t help but compare myself to Peggy sometimes. They had something that was raw and pure, and I don’t know if I can compare to that. She will always be his first love. I get that. I really do. But does that leave any room for me? Am I really enough?” She swallowed hard, unable to hide the sadness in her face as she glanced at her fingernails, picking at the dark red polish until it chipped away. She was used to sharing her emotions with Tony. They were best friends. But when those emotions involved Steve, it was harder to talk about. To admit that she was human after all.

“I know how you feel. Sort of,” Tony said, and he trailed off to look at the autopilot button, still flicked forward showing it was active.

“Pepper?” Phoebe asked. She was happy that they were moving on from the topic.

“Yeah. Obviously I know something’s wrong with me. I told her I was a piping hot mess and I have been since New York. First, I put all my effort into you and Steve’s first date, then the sleepless nights started. The nightmares, the night sweats, all of it. I started building suits, one right after the other. Some have special abilities, like a stealth suit, Egor’s good for heavy lifting, things like that. But then I made ones that would act on my command.” Tony looked at Phoebe with weary eyes veined from exhaustion. “One of them was ready to attack Pepper in her sleep because I called for it during a nightmare. Pepper could’ve been killed by my suit and that’s on me. And lately, it just feels like I’m this shit person who can’t get over themselves long enough to see that I have beautiful human being that loves me. I don’t understand why she loves me when I’m not clearly not enough for her.”

Phoebe frowned, and slowly reached her hand out to touch his arm, wrapping hers around his and laying her head on his shoulder. “You’re going through something. The world is, too. You don’t think there aren’t New Yorkers out there suffering the same way you are right now? Whether it’s because of war like these military guys,” Phoebe pointed to the screen showing Taggart and Davis’s pictures, “or the… visitors… they are suffering, too. We are figuring this out together and it may take time, but I promise you that you are enough for Pepper.” Tony kept his head low, eyes staring at the floor. “You know what I felt the first time you introduced me to Pepper? Remember that Gala for the children’s hospital?”

“What?” Tony asked, an eyebrow raised.

“She admired you so much. She was straight up head over heels for you,” Phoebe said with conviction.

“Really?”

Phoebe nodded. “Really.” A beat. “She wouldn’t have stayed during this if she didn’t care about you.”

“I just want her to know that I care, too.”

“You’ll find a way.” Phoebe got up then, yawning as she stood. Maybe a few hours wouldn’t be so bad. “Sometimes it’s not about telling her. It’s about showing her.”

“Pheebs?” Tony called out into the dark room quietly when Phoebe made it to her cot.

“Yeah, Ton?” she whispered back.

Tony made an audible sigh. “Peggy may have been his first love, but I know for a fact that you’re his last. And that’s all that matters.”

Phoebe smiled at that and curled into the blanket on her cot, letting exhaustion take over her body.


	7. Orders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers infiltrate the Mandarin's villa to save Steve.

***  
**_Steve_**

When Steve woke up, his hands were tied on either side of his head. Even through blurry eyes, he could see the reinforced chains slicing into his wrists. He blinked several times, finally noticing a clearance in his vision. He was in some sort of lab. There were computers, chemistry sets, and a few whiteboards on one end of the room, and a set of bodyguards on the other side, including two who were staring right at him with rifles in their hands.

“He’s awake,” one of them said into their wrists.

“Welcome back, Captain,” the other one said with a wicked smile.

“Where am I?” Steve asked, and he jerked his arms. A sharp pain radiated through his shoulder and then he remembered he dove in front of a bullet for Phoebe. “Where’s Phoebe?” he asked with a darker tone. Neither of the guards answered. “Damn it, tell me where she is!” he shouted.

“Don’t know no Phoebe,” the stockier of the two men answered with a shrug. “She your girl?”

“Yeah,” Steve said, eyes narrowing into slits, “and if you’ve done anything to her, I’ll kill you where you stand.”

“Captain America sending death threats? That’s so unpatriotic,” another voice said, sounding arrogant and confident. Steve turned to see Killian walking down the steps. “Speaking of patriotic, how are we doing on the Iron Patriot?” Killian asked the men behind him.

Steve’s eyes went wide. “He’s still in the suit. He’s very stubborn,” the guard said, shaking his head.

“See if our pal Eric can’t take care of that. We need that suit.”

“Yes, sir,” the guard said before exiting the area.

“What exactly are you planning here?” Steve asked.

Killian erupted into laughter, triggering a bright orange glow in his eyes while the veins in his neck went black. A minute later, he looked normal as if nothing had happened. “Well, I need to make some adjustments to my plan, but nothing major. You see, I originally wanted Phoebe, but my friend failed to consider your undying devotion to Ms. Reynolds.”

Steve thrashed against the chains, ignoring the pain of the bullet hole in his shoulder. “Leave her out of this!”

“Oh, I can’t.” A sadistic grin crossed Killian’s face, making Steve sick to his stomach. “You see, she would have been an absolute asset to my Extremis program. Can you imagine how powerful she could have become? So I guess Pepper will have to do. I always did have a fascination with her…”

“Pepper?” Steve echoed in confusion. What did she have anything to do with this?

Killian tossed a set of beads to the floor and pulled a remote from his pocket. A holographic transmission of Pepper appeared. She looked like she was screaming. As she threw her head around while her body convulsed, Steve couldn’t help but twinge at the feed. It was horrific to watch, and Steve was glad Tony couldn’t see it. “Right now, Pepper’s body is deciding whether it wants to reject Extremis or accept it. If it rejects it, then… well, it’s a spectacular detonation, I can assure you.”

Steve turned away from the feed, guilt washing over him. He couldn’t do anything for her. “They were under the same protective custody.”

Killian snickered. “You really think SHIELD’s protective custody was a match for my men? You underestimate the power of Extremis, Rogers.”

“If you have Pepper, then where is Maya?”

A sigh escaped Killian’s lips, though the expression on his face told Steve he wasn’t sorry in the slightest. “Maya is no longer with us, unfortunately. My father always told me to clean up after my messes. And that’s where the Mandarin comes in.”

Steve glared at him. “Yeah, we know. He’s an actor. Maya told us everything.”

“Did she also tell you that Tony Stark had the formula for Extremis almost perfected?” There was a long, silent pause and Killian smiled. He held up a card that said YOU KNOW WHO I AM with a formula on the back. It was gibberish to Steve, but he assumed that Tony wasn’t finished with the equation. There gaps in the formula. “If Tony would’ve focused more on the equation and less on the piece of ass he was getting that night, we wouldn’t even be here. You could be snuggling on the couch with your girl instead chained to this stone wall while you wait for your precious team to come and rescue you.”

Steve felt sick to his stomach. This quickly turned from Steve ruining Killian’s plan to him being Killian’s personal messenger. “They’ll realize it’s a trap and they’ll find you.”

Another grin, more sadistic than the last. “Yes, well, that’s what I’m hoping for. You’ll have to give them my message for me because Pepper and I have somewhere to be with the Vice President.”

Steve’s eyes widened for a moment, but another glare appeared not long after. “The Avengers will stop you. _I_ will stop you, you maniac.”

“Always such a righteous man,” Killian muttered from the stairway. “I’m not a maniac. But I do own one. And he takes the stage tonight.”

***  
**_Tony_**

A few clicks North from the Killian’s villa, a team of SHIELD agents gathered surrounded by a quinjet and several choppers. A male figure stepped out of one of the choppers. Much to his shock, it was Phil Coulson. He was pulling Natasha in for a hug. “Good to see you, Nat,” he said.

“Welcome back,” Natasha said, embracing him.

Coulson pulled back and turned to Clint, who gave him a unique handshake that they undoubtedly created before he looked at Phoebe and pulled her in for a hug. Tony was in a state of shock when Coulson looked over at him. But he acknowledged Coulson’s return with a small nod as they shared a look of understanding. It was a lot, Coulson knew that, and there was work to be done.

“How? When?” Phoebe asked in awe as their arms brushed against each other briefly.

“We can explain the logistics later,” Coulson said into the hug before pulling away. “For now, it’s just good to see you. All of you.”

“So, what’s the play?” Clint asked.

“There’s about a dozen men roaming the outside and a dozen men inside. Rhodes said there was a set of doors leading to a basement, but he couldn’t get inside. Any intel we can get would be from that room. Unfortunately, we have reason to believe that Killian has left with Captain Rogers,” Coulson said with a frown. He whistled, and a SHIELD agent approached them holding Steve’s shield. The agent handed the shield over to Phoebe.

She held it close to her heart for a long moment. Closing her eyes briefly, she let a tear fall, which landed on the iconic star in the center of the shield.

He was here, Phoebe decided in that moment. He’d never leave without it.

Tony, in full Iron Man gear, came up behind her and placed a metal hand to her shoulder. “Breathe, Pheebs,” he said softly, giving her shoulder a tender squeeze.

Coulson looked at the two with furrowed brows. “Am I missing something?”

“Cap and Phoebe are together,” Natasha said.

“Oh,” Coulson said. There was a hint of a smile on his face. “We have someone you may want to talk to,” Coulson said.

“As acting leader until the Captain’s safe return, I will be doing the questioning,” Tony said firmly, planting his metal hands on his hips. “I think we should split up. Half of us talk to our new friend, the other half sweep the house for Steve.”

No one objected. Clint and Tony went with Coulson while Natasha and Phoebe headed for the villa. Tony and Clint reached a hill where another quinjet was situated at the bottom. Inside the jet, “the Mandarin”, was sitting with his hands and ankles cuffed in front of him. In this light, he looked nothing like he did on TV, but Tony still felt a surge of anger run through his body. Rhodey was interrogating him, holding a gun to inches from his face.

“Tell me why they needed my suit, or I swear to God I will blow your face off!” Rhodey shouted at the actor. The click of the hammer echoed throughout the jet compartment, making the actor extremely nervous. Sweat dripped from the sides of his face into his beard as he gulped loudly.

“I’ve never seen this side of you, Rhodes. I like it,” Iron Man said coyly from behind him.

Rhodey turned and gave him a side smirk. “I have my moments.” He looked at Tony, who donned his full Iron Man gear. “Your suit looks like it’s been through hell, man.”

Iron Man lifted his faceplate, revealing Tony’s bruised eye and scratched face. “It’s been a rough 24 hours,” he admitted with a shrug. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“I told you I was making friends,” Rhodey said. “Meet Trevor Slattery. We’re getting really close, aren’t we Trevor?” Slattery didn’t answer, so Rhodey backhanded him with his gun. “It was a setup, Tony,” he said, keeping a calculated eye on Slattery. “One of Killian’s men took the suit. And _this guy_ won’t tell me why.”

“I already told you, I don’t know about no suit!” Slattery snapped, his chest shaky beneath Rhodey’s gun. His voice darkened then just like on the TV. He glared at Rhodey. “Even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you. Any of you! You can’t stop what’s to come… what’s already here…”

Clint grabbed Slattery by the throat and threw him to the ground, planting his heel against his sternum. “You see that guy with the gun to your head?” Slattery’s eyes briefly moved towards the loaded Ruger. “If you don’t start talking in the next 5 seconds, I’ll let him kill you. And no one in this room will bat an eye.”

Slattery shuddered under Clint’s boot like a cowering animal. “The wankers don’t tell me nothin’!”

“They obviously told you something,” Tony glared, then held out a metal hand. The sound of a repulsorblast erupted through the air, hissing passed Slattery’s ears. “Where is Killian?” he asked in a soft, menacing voice that made Clint do a double take.

“Just a heads up, he can blow you to pieces with that nifty suit of his, so I’d start talkin’, pal,” Clint said before his own voice darkened and he lifted his bow. “And if he doesn’t, I will.”

Slattery’s act crumbled then, and his mouth ran like a duck’s ass after that. Clint sat him upright while he spewed everything he knew in one breath – from needing the Iron Patriot suit to take the President to his public execution. He even revealed the truth about Steve’s capture. It was Phoebe he wanted, but he had to settle for the next best thing: Pepper.

“You son of a bitch. Where is she?!” Tony growled, lunging for Slattery in a fit of anger. Clint and Natasha held him back.

“I know that the execution is supposed to happen off the coast. Roxin Narco?”

“Roxon Norco? That’s where Killian and Pepper are?” Tony clarified, smacking his shoulder to grab his attention again. “Come on, Meryl Streep, focus!”

Slattery looked at Tony with pinhole-sized pupils. Clint sighed. They’d be lucky if any of this information was even accurate. “That’s all I know, I swear it!” Slattery croaked.

“What about Steve? Is he with Killian and Pepper?” Clint asked.

“Don’t know, but I do know he wouldn’t stop screaming earlier. Couldn’t get a decent kip until it stopped,” Slattery said, shaking his head. A change in his tone had Tony and Clint on edge.

***  
**_Phoebe_**

Natasha and Phoebe snuck passed the outside guards by using Phoebe’s powers to cloak their visibility. A very hand defensive power it was, though Phoebe couldn’t hold it for long. It took a lot of power and energy to transform normal molecules and alter their structure to not be seen by the naked eye, which explained why her nose bled when they became visible again.

“Are you okay?” Natasha whispered as they tip-toed down a dark, narrow hallway that was coated in vintage photos and decorations.

“’m fine,” Phoebe said, wiping her nose. She was fine – physically, that is. Mentally, she felt drained, but nothing she couldn’t handle. “Let’s keep going.”

“Can you sense if anyone’s here?”

Phoebe closed her eyes and let her powers flow through her nervous system, centering them in her core. She opened her eyes and turned to Natasha.

_Confident, but worried. Wants to find Steve, know that he’s okay._

“Hey,” Natasha said, shoving her lightly upon feeling the intrusion. “No peeking.”

Phoebe tumbled to the other side of the wide, elongated hallway towards the lobby. She felt nothing. Not a single person was on this floor. She motioned for Natasha to follow her down another set of narrow stairs. They found themselves in the center of a study room with beer, chips, and leftover pizza scattered along the floor and desk area. The Mandarin’s wardrobe was situated in the corner next to the flat screen.

“We need to keep moving,” Phoebe said, shaking her head at the disastrous room. As a neat freak, Phoebe felt disgusted.

They did keep moving until they ended down a dungeon-like hallway, etched with dark bricks along the walls, ceiling, and floors. It reminded Phoebe of a medieval castle, and when they reached the open area, they were forced to find cover from the guards outside.

_Alert. Nervous. Bored._

“They really don’t want to be here,” Phoebe noted to Natasha.

Natasha glanced from the corner of her eyes. “Neither do I. Rhodey said the stairway to the basement was down that hallway.”

Steve was laying on the floor in the basement, curled in a ball. His face was bloodied and bruised with scratches around his neck and collarbone. His shirt was ripped and burned in several places. Where his shirt was burnt off, his skin sizzled with second degree burns that were attempting to heal themselves as Phoebe knelt beside him.

“Steve,” Phoebe whispered. “It’s me, Steve. It’s Phoebe. I’m right here,” she said tearfully.

“Phoebe…” Steve trailed off due to a coughing fit. “You’re here.”

“Yeah, I’m here,” she said. “Nat’s here, too. I’m gonna heal your wounds, okay? It’s going to hurt.”

Steve nodded, understanding. Natasha gave him a hand and he squeezed it tight, preparing for the pain that came with his molecules forcing themselves to replicate and heal. Phoebe held her hands over each of his burn marks and concentrated. Purple waves transferred from her hands to Steve’s wounds and attached themselves to the flesh. She swirled her hands upwards, pulling the flesh gently and forcing the molecular structure to alter itself back together. Steve grunted and groaned into the concrete floor. Phoebe felt his pain seep into her bones as she healed him.

“Almost done… okay. It’s over, Steve,” Phoebe said, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “It’s over, baby.”

Steve sat upright with the help of Natasha and Phoebe. The bullet wound from yesterday had already healed, but Phoebe could tell the area still bothered him. “We need to alert the Vice President that he’s in danger.”

Iron Man blasted through the windows above them, hovering gently above them. “Is he alright?”

“He’ll be fine,” Natasha said firmly, refusing to believe anything else. “Where’s Clint?”

“He’s getting the quinjet ready for take… off. Uh, guys?”

“What?” Phoebe asked, tending to the wounds on Steve’s face.

“We should get out of here. Like nowish.”

Natasha narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

Iron Man shrugged and held out both hands. “There’s a bomb on the computer. Nothing huge. But it’s going to blow in less than ten seconds.”

Phoebe turned to the computer.

DETONATION IN: 0:10… 0:09… 0:08… 0:07… 0:06… 0:05…

“Why can’t anything be easy?” Phoebe grumbled.  

Steve and Natasha wrapped themselves around Iron Man’s arms as they jetted off while Phoebe levitated out of the building moments before the blast took out the entire villa.

***  
**_Tony_**

Though he enjoyed playing Captain for an hour, Tony was glad the old man was still with the team. Mostly. Phoebe hadn’t stepped more than a few feet away from Steve, not that he was complaining. The team gave him some time to recover with Phoebe while they flew to the location Slattery gave them. The Roxxon Norco Oil Corporation.

The team gathered around the center table of the quinjet with handwritten notes stating what Slattery said.

“We know he’s going after the President,” Rhodey said.

“And that his public execution is going to be at the oil corporation,” Clint chimed in.

“But we don’t know is why he needed Pepper, or what the Vice President has to do with it,” Steve added.

“Well, think Government 101,” Tony said, a hand grooming his beard. “You kill the President, who takes his place?”

“You’re saying Vice President Rodrigues is dirty?” Steve asked for clarification because, well… it was a crazy thought.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Tony confirmed. “But that still doesn’t explain Pepper.”

“What better motivator to fix the glitch than your best friend or girlfriend getting the injection?” Phoebe mumbled, eyes falling to the video feed Natasha managed to swipe from the lab.

“I think her body’s accepting it, but I can’t really tell for sure,” Tony sighed. He shut off the feed, finding it too uncomfortable to look at any longer. “We need to come up with a plan to save the President and Pepper.”

“The problem is, Tony, I don’t think we can do both,” Rhodey said.

Tony wouldn’t accept that. And neither would Steve. Just like that, Steve was in full Captain America leadership mode once again. “No, we’ll do both,” Steve said. “We’ll split up. Half of us will go to Roxxon, the other half will save the President.”

“I’m getting my suit back,” Rhodey said, giving Steve a stern look that said, ‘I’m going, and you can’t stop me’.

“Then you’re with me and Stark. Phoebe, Clint, and Natasha will go to Roxxon and find Pepper. She’s the priority. Then, we’ll find Killian.”

Well, this calls for some heavy backup, Tony thought.

“Say, JARVIS, is it that time?” Tony asked into his Bluetooth earpiece.

“The house party protocol, sir?” JARVIS responded.

“That’s the one.”

“Very well, sir.”

Steve looked at Phoebe. “What’s that?”

“Something tells me we’re about to find out,” Phoebe answered with a grin.

Steve chuckled and grabbed his shield. “Let’s suit up.”

Tony hated to admit it, but damn it if it wasn’t good to hear Steve give orders again.


	8. Numb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers battle against Killian to save Pepper.

***  
**_Phoebe_**

_President’s secure. Rhodey landed Air Force One safely._

Tony sent that message over 25 minutes ago. So, where the hell were they?

It was by pure luck they hadn’t been spotted yet on the boarding docks. Coulson’s team was good about being on standby for such a long period, but Phoebe could feel the tension even without her powers. They wanted to move in, and so did she.

“Stop it,” Natasha whispered to Phoebe.

Phoebe blinked. “Stop what?”

“You’re picking your nails,” Natasha said, gesturing to her mouth. “Relax.”

Only when she mentioned it did Phoebe notice the finger caught between her teeth. She looked down at her nail beds. Sure enough, there was fresh blood pooling from the corner of her cuticles, barely distinguishable from the remains of her dark red polish. “Killian’s doing God only knows what with Pepper and we’re only 100 feet away. How can I relax? How can _you_?”

“Who says I’m relaxed? Is that what you’re getting from me right now?” Natasha shot back.

That was a good point, Phoebe thought. Relaxed was _not_ an emotion currently radiating off Natasha’s aura. Nervousness? A little bit. Determination? Absolutely. But not relaxed. No one in the vicinity was even close to relaxed.

“He’ll be here. They both will,” Natasha said.

“Agent Romanoff is right. If Captain Rogers says he’ll be here, he’ll be here,” Coulson agreed.

“Wait, is that them?” Clint chimed, pointing towards the sky.

Phoebe watched the light shine brightly in the midnight sky, eyes growing wide with anticipation. But the light soon died out, and Phoebe was left with the same empty feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“It was a shooting star,” Phoebe realized aloud, sighing.

“Make a wish,” Clint said, giving her a casual wink.

It was child’s play, she knew that. Making a wish on a shooting star. But all things considered, the team was out of options and without Steve. And if it brought him to her, it was worth the corny movie moment.

“So… what did you wish for?” Clint asked eagerly.

Phoebe laughed. “You’re not supposed to say the wish out loud, genius.”

“Technically, I’m not the genius of the group, so excuse the hell out of me,” Clint said, pretending to be offended. A smile splayed across his face and he nudged her jokingly.

“You may not be, but I am,” a metallic voice said from behind them.

Phoebe turned, shocked to see Iron Man climbing out of the water. Steve’s shield floated to the surface and a second later, so did Steve. Relief surged through Phoebe’s veins and she lunged forward into Steve’s arms, causing a low groan to escape his lips.

“I’m alright,” Steve assured her. “We got held up is all.”

“Held up? What the hell were you guys doing?” Natasha chided, a hand on her hip.

Iron Man looked at her, and Phoebe swore Tony was grinning under the helmet. “Flying practice,” he said.

Phoebe’s eyes grew wide and she turned to Steve. “Excuse me?”

Steve cupped his hands to her cheeks lightly. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. The President’s secure, we’re all fine. It was a good day,” he said before pressing a tender kiss to Phoebe’s lips, making her smile.

“Day’s not over yet, Captain,” Coulson said. “My team’s standing by. Just waiting for your signal.”

Steve nodded and peered over the edge of the dock briefly before turning to Coulson. “I count at least a dozen on the ground, probably more on the bridges and towers. There’s no way we’re going to neutralize all of them without incident.”

Iron Man lifted his faceplate at that and grinned. “Ask and you shall receive, Cap.”

Phoebe frowned and turned to look at the sky upon his insistence. She gasped at what she saw.

“Look, Barton. More shooting stars,” Natasha said coyly.

“Very funny,” Clint hissed, though his eyes beamed with amazement.

One by one, Tony’s suits surrounded them. Different shades, sizes, attachments, but one thing remained the same. All of them were powered by JARVIS.

“Merry Christmas,” Tony said.

“This is what you’ve been doing with your time?” Steve asked, clearly in shock.

“Everyone needs a hobby,” Tony said, holding out his metal arms. “JARVIS, target Extremis heat signatures. Disable with extreme prejudice.”

“Yes, sir,” the collective suits said in unison.

“What are we waiting for? Take them to church.”

The suits were impressively good at combating the Extremis soldiers. It allowed for Coulson to spread his team across the ground, followed by Natasha and Clint. Suit parts flew as some were unfortunately disabled by the Extremis soldiers. The suits that prevailed managed to toss several soldiers into an oil tanker, causing multiple explosions. It was time for the team to assemble.

Steve turned, his game face on and ready. “We’ll cover more ground if we split up.”

“I can find Pepper,” Phoebe said. Her power was already channeling through her hands. Steve’s uneasiness about the situation was clear. Not just in his emotions, but in his reaction. “Steve…”

“I’d feel better if you were on the ground with Coulson’s team. They need someone to back them up,” Steve said, shaking his head.

“Will you stop that already?” Phoebe hissed.

Steve pulled back, eyes wide. “I honestly have no clue what you’re talking about.”

“This entire mission, all you’ve done is pushed me to the sidelines. To hell with the sidelines, Steve.”

Steve sighed, eyes darting out to meet hers. “Excuse me for caring about your wellbeing.”

“And by doing that, you were shot, captured and nearly detonated. I can handle myself,” Phoebe said, and then a fireball was thrown just inches from her feet. She turned and screamed, creating a sonic wave that blasted the Extremis soldier backward off the tower and into the water.

Steve pulled her close, forcing her lips to meet his in a searing kiss that took her focus away until all she could think of was Steve’s assault on her lips. By the time he pulled away, they were caught under an array of suit parts fluttering in their peripheral vision. Explosions went off all around them, but they were only concerned with each other in this very moment.

“I’d do it all again in a heartbeat. I can’t lose you,” Steve confessed, putting a gloved hand to her cheek and wiping away a tear that Phoebe hadn’t known was there.

“I promise, you won’t,” she answered him softly, pulling him in for a second kiss that knocked the breath out of his lungs.

“I hate to break up the lovefest here, but my girl is currently trapped under debris. Jarvis can’t get an accurate read on her. I could use your help,” Iron Man said from above them as hovered.

“I’ll find Killian,” Steve said, letting her go.

“Be careful,” Phoebe told him, nodding.

“Always.”

Phoebe watched him climb the tower with skillful accuracy until he was on the bridge leading to the main building of the corporation. Phoebe reached for Iron Man’s hand and he pulled her onto his back. They flew to the third story.

“You know, I never thanked you,” Iron Man started as they rummaged through the debris.

Phoebe was focusing her hands over the metal and concrete, her eyes closed as she concentrated on the power running through her veins. She wasn’t getting a read on Pepper. “Thank me for what?” she finally asked.

“I wasn’t exactly open to the team coming in and fighting alongside me, but they did it anyway. You did it, anyway. So… thank you.”

That was something rare, hearing Tony be thankful. It was quite the accomplishment.

“Tony, I would never let you commit total self-destruction,” Phoebe said, touching his faceplate. It would have been so much more emotional if he wasn’t in his Iron Man gear, she thought, smiling to herself.

_Tony! Tony! Help! Fear. Anxiety. Pain._

“Oh God,” Phoebe gasped, collapsing to the ground as the emotions overwhelmed her body. “It’s Pepper. She’s close. She’s really scared, Tony.”

Iron Man’s faceplate came off at that, and Tony’s voice echoed through the entire building. “Pepper! I’m here! Where are you? Help me find you!”

“Tony,” Pepper croaked, then lots of coughing. “Over here!”

Phoebe tried to get a better read on her, but the dust and fire and smoke were interfering with her senses. Her lungs ached as she breathed in the smoke, eyes burning with every blink. Coughing hard, Phoebe stood and tried to follow Tony through the wreckage.

“Are you lost, Phoebe?”

A painful twinge hit her back when something hot pressed into her. A hot arm wrapped around her neck and she gasped. Glancing behind she noticed Killian glowing bright orange and burning through her bodysuit to get to her flesh. Even with fire resistance, her suit was no match for Extremis’s heat signature.

She grunted and used her body weight to throw Killian before his arm burned through her collar. He landed across the room with a hard thud. She extended her hands outward towards him, her eyes glowing bright purple as her anger fueled her powers. “You smug son of a bitch.”

“Wow. You are just a beautiful sight,” Killian breathed wickedly, as he stood up, neck and arms pulsing orange. His eyes were black, completely soulless. There was nothing but pure evil in his eyes. “It really should have been you, Phoebe.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” she answered. She glanced behind him as Tony grabbed Pepper’s hand and reached to pull her up.

Killian caught on to the charade and whirled around, breathing fire at Tony, forcing him to let go of Pepper, submerging her back under the metal railings just as the fire reached his suit. He stumbled backward and landed on collapsed piping, which made a low hissing noise.

“No!” Phoebe clasped her hands shut and released them in a fit of rage. The molecules around Killian froze right where he stood, and for a moment, he was still. She kept her hands steady on Killian to hold out the freeze. The one power she had no control over. Time was of the essence. “Get her and go!”

Tony used his repulsors to lift the metal railing up and Pepper managed to crawl out. Tony grabbed her roughly, apologizing as he flew out of the room, only for an Extremis soldier to grab Pepper and toss her around like a ragdoll.

Killian unfroze and knocked Phoebe down to the ground. Steve stormed in then and growled, dirt-covered eyes glaring at him. “It’s over, Killian. Stand down.”

“Oh, but I’ve only begun,” Killian said, extending orange hands towards Phoebe’s face while he used his lower body to pin her to the ground. “Thank you for bringing Phoebe to me. It was an honor working with you, Steve.”

Steve looked into Phoebe’s eyes as Killian’s hands came closer to her face. On instinct, Steve was running, and he shoved Killian, himself and Phoebe out of the building and hurdling toward the ground, which was ignited with heavy fire. Phoebe felt the fear pounding against her chest as she blindly reached and managed to grab a wiring that whirled her onto a bridge with an Extremis soldier. Steve and Killian fought in mid-air. Phoebe extended her hands and grabbed a hold of the molecules surrounding Steve, levitating him to the bridge.

Steve settled on the bridge for a moment before kicking into action with the Extremis soldier. He threw his shield at the woman, cutting off her arm to distract her long enough to kick her up and into a nearby suit that exploded with her in it.

“I think Killian’s after you,” Steve said to Phoebe.

“Gee, ya think?” Phoebe shot back.

“Tony!” Pepper shouted from a few levels up.

“You gotta let go, baby,” Tony shouted back to her, out of his Iron Man suit. “I’ll catch you, I promise!”

Steve and Phoebe looked up and saw Pepper barely holding on.

“We have to do something!” Phoebe shrieked.

“Use your powers!” Steve said.

Phoebe went to telekinetically push Pepper closer to Tony when she felt something hot pierce her head. From behind, Killian had both hands on either side of her brain, pressing more and more heat to her neurons. Phoebe collapsed to the ground in a seizure.

“No!” Steve charged at Killian and kicked him with both feet, then pulled himself upright and punched Killian hard enough in the jaw he dislocated it. “What did you do to her?” he asked darkly.

“Her brain’s overheating. Very painful. It won’t kill her. Not with her regenerative properties, anyway,” Killian said casually.

Steve began fighting Killian hand to hand. While dodging his attacks, Steve could see Clint climbing the stairs from behind Killian holding an explosive arrow in his hand. Clint nodded to Steve. He knew exactly what Barton had planned, and he kept Killian occupied. Clint set the arrow in his bow and whistled.

“Behind you, dragon breath,” Clint called out. Killian turned as the arrow flew to him. He grabbed it just inches from his face.

“Nice try,” Killian smirked.

“Made you look,” Clint grinned.

Killian glanced at the red flashing button on the arrow and it exploded, knocking him mid-air.

“Hey, Pheebs,” Clint said. “You good?”

Phoebe nodded, but her brain felt like mush at the moment. She was also burning hot to the touch. “Yeah, I think so. Where’s… Steve, oh my god!”

Steve was running for the edge.

“Pepper!” Tony cried out as the entangled metal keeping Pepper dangling broke apart.

Steve jumped and caught Pepper just as she fell. Pepper appeared in front of Tony a few seconds later and he reached out, grabbing her wrists and pulling her towards him.

“Steve!” Phoebe bellowed from the edge, only to be pulled back by Clint. Heartbroken, saddened, and shattered, Phoebe cried and cried on Clint’s chest until her voice went numb.

“We gotta go,” Clint said, his voice muffled. “Phoebe!”

Phoebe felt Clint tugging at her to go. The bridge was collapsing and if they didn’t get off, they’d be dead, too. But Phoebe didn’t care. About anything.

Clint had no choice. He grabbed Steve’s shield and picked Phoebe up, swinging her over his shoulders.

When they reached ground level, there were SHIELD agents remaining alongside Coulson, Natasha and Tony waiting for Clint and Phoebe to regroup with them.

Everyone looked to be in mourning. There was silence for a long time, fueling Phoebe’s grief until she collapsed next to Tony. Tony grabbed Phoebe hard and slung his head over her shoulder. He seemed to understand she wasn’t in a talking mood, as he hugged without saying a single word.

“Get Phoebe out of here, Agent Ward,” Coulson instructed to one of SHIELD agents.

“No,” Phoebe said at that, pulling Tony back. Her eyes were hard, tear-stained and full of despair. She wasn’t going anywhere. “I want to finish this. For Steve.”

Tony gently tapped Pepper’s knee and stood up then. “J, get me a suit.”

Jarvis sent a suit plummeting down to Tony. It was Mark 7. The suit from New York. Tony stared at it for a long time before he stepped inside and clasped the faceplate over his eyes, becoming Iron Man once again.

The team assembled together, each loading their weapons and preparing to fight. Killian’s men retreated in a synchronized fashion, as if on command. Natasha frowned, looking at her teammates with the same confusion everyone else had. Killian appeared, hands clapping and eyes beaming just as bright as his body.

“Congratulations, Avengers. You’ve made it to the final round! Well, most of you, anyway. It’s a shame what happened to, Captain Rogers. I was a big fan of his.”

Iron Man didn’t wait for the signal before he fired a repulsorblast at Killian, knocking him straight into a nearby crane. This did nothing to the transformed man, and he got up and breathed fire at their general direction, forcing the team to split in five different directions to avoid the blast. Phoebe gripped Steve’s shield like her life depended on it and she made a run for it.

Killian slammed a brightly glowing hand to Steve’s shield, causing a vibrating echo to disperse throughout the thick, smoky air. Phoebe kicked him in the stomach and spun, colliding with the back of her fist to his face. Natasha came up behind her with her gauntlet, firing an electric zap as she punched his chest, leaving behind a tiny pin that released a continuous zap to his core. Clint changed his bow to a staff and hit Killian in the back of the head until he was face down on the concrete. Iron Man came down and crashed a metal boot to the back of his neck. There was an audible crack, but no one seemed to care.

“Last chance, Killian. Stand down,” Iron Man groundout.

From under his boot, a wicked smile splayed on Killian’s lips. “I think the party’s just getting started.”

Killian yelled and flipped onto his back, grabbing Iron Man’s boot and crushing the metal around his ankles until blood seeped out of the slits in his suit. He slammed Iron Man to the ground next to him and stood, ready to bash his head. Clint rammed into Killian like a linebacker, allowing Iron Man to fly out from under his grasp.

He was gaining the advantage on the team quickly. Clint was unconscious, Natasha was down with a serious burn to her ribcage, and Phoebe was trapped under metal debris that was caving into her flesh by the minute. Iron Man fired blast after blast, punch after punch, but Killian was channeling every bit of Extremis into his attack. One repulsor on his hand was already down. His suits were going up in flames as it stood.

They needed Steve.

Before Phoebe could blink, the metal was miraculously lifted off her body. When she turned to see who it was, she was amazed, but also frightened.

Steve, glowing bright orange, stood in front of her breathing heavily. He tossed the metal effortlessly away.

“Steve!” Phoebe exclaimed with a grin. “You’re… oh my god. Extremis?”

“Looks like it,” Steve swallowed, glancing at different parts of his body. “I don’t even remember getting the injection.”

“I couldn’t risk the serum affecting Extremis, so you were heavily sedated,” Killian answered with a devilish grin. “I’ve created the perfect subjects!”

“She was already perfect,” Tony growled, hitting him with a missile that exploded in front of his face.

“So was Steve,” Phoebe added. She captured the explosion in a force field in hope of him exploding. All it did was make him stronger. “Oops.”

Pepper had joined in the fight by now, stopping Killian from piercing Iron Man with a molten pipe. She used that pipe and hit Killian like a baseball, sending him flying into a nearby suit. The suit exploded, but Killian survived, and the team was beginning to think this was best left to Pepper and Steve, who were clearly under the influence of Extremis.

Steve closed his fist on Killian’s jaw. Pepper ran up to Steve and climbed onto his knees and abs, flipping forward and grabbing Killian’s neck, snapping it in half, killing him.

She landed in front of Tony, breathing heavily, a look of horror on her face. “Oh my god, that was really violent. Am I gonna be okay?”

Tony exited Mark 7 and walked up to Pepper, who wasn’t burning up anymore. “No, you’re in a relationship with me,” he answered jokingly. Pepper did smile at that, but it wasn’t genuine. She was scared out of her mind, and so was Steve.

“You’re gonna be okay,” Phoebe promised Steve as she reached out to touch him.

“No, don’t,” Steve hissed, yanking his body away from her. “Not until I’m fixed.”

“I almost had this down when I was drunk, so I’m pretty sure I can get you both fixed,” Tony said, smiling as he held Pepper close. “I am so sorry, Pepper. For everything.”

“Who’s the hot mess now?” Pepper asked, grinning at Tony.

“Debatable. Probably tipping your way a little bit. You should dress like this at home. It’s hot. No pun intended,” Tony replied with a wink.

“I understand why you don’t want to give up the suits now.”

Tony shrugged. “Jarvis, is it that time now?”

“Didn’t we do this already?” Natasha asked while she swatted Clint to wake him up.

“The clean slate protocol, sir?”

“Exactly.”

Steve leaned in and touched Phoebe, allowing himself the moment to know that he was not a danger to her, before he wrapped her in his arms and kissed her cheek. Pepper gasped with surprise and delight as Tony's suits exploded in the air like the Fourth of July. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up for a little epilogue! (:


	9. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers celebrate New Year's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is super long, but I hope you like it!  
> I highly recommend you listen to Tears of an Angel while reading the Steve/Phoebe flashback.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxsmb_I1x-s

***  
**_New Year’s Eve- Day  
Midtown, New York_**

The team was fully assembled again.

Bruce returned after spending some time helping sick children in Africa.

Thor returned to Earth to spend time with Jane and offered his services should the Avengers need him to fight. He was also dealing with what he called “family issues”. Thor’s mother died, which everyone was sympathetic towards, but when Thor said that Loki also died, they were mostly sorry Thor had to go through the pain of losing a brother as opposed to Loki’s death itself. At least in Phoebe’s case. She almost died because of Loki. He wasn’t getting posthumous sympathy. Thor did mention that he’s been considered dead before.

Clint and Natasha flew back to the Triskelion to deal with the logistics of the events that took place over the past few days. Fury saw the need for his agents to help Tony, though he was not pleased that Phoebe fled protective custody. He still was a human being underneath the eye patch and leather. Secretary Pierce was supposedly making a visit to the Triskelion to discuss the mission.

As for Tony? He spent 48 hours in a recovery room at the local hospital after undergoing surgery to remove the shrapnel from his heart. He was released today, New Year’s Eve.

Goodbye arc reactor.

Was he done being Iron Man? After all, the suits were powered by that thing in his chest. The quick answer? There is no such thing when it comes to Tony Stark. Instead, he did the next best thing and held a huge press conference on the ground where his mansion used to stand not even two hours after leaving the hospital. The Avengers stood in support of their friend with Pepper at arm’s length. Tony gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before standing up on the podium and confronting the cameras and reporters.

“The public has been concerned with my health, my home, my relationship, and of course… the Avengers. I am here today to assure all of you that my recovery was a success. The shrapnel is gone, but not forgotten. Pepper is well on her way to bigger and better things in regard to Stark Industries –  Extremis-free, I might add.

As for my home, I am more upset at the damage to my inventions, Dum-E and U than the structure itself. You see, the mansion was not my home. My home is not materialistic – shocker, right? No, my home is with Pepper. Wherever she is, that is where I’ll go. I love her with all my heart. Home is also where my teammates are; my friends who risked their lives to make sure that I didn’t lose mine. I owe them in more ways than you can imagine. Together, we stand as one, a collective that I am proud to be a part of.

Finally, there has been questions as to whether I will continue to be Iron Man now that the arc reactor that powers my suits is gone. This took some time, but I think this is best way I could put it. My suits were never a distraction or a hobby. It was a cocoon. I’m a changed man. They can take away my house, all my tricks and toys, but the one thing they can’t take away… I am Iron Man.”

***  
**_New Year’s Eve- Night  
Midtown, New York_**

Surviving nearly getting blown up by an overheating psychopath was nothing short of a miracle. It deserved to be honored with celebration, fun, and alcohol. So… Tony threw a party, naturally.

Everyone was in attendance. There was a band playing. It went down without a hitch.

By 11:00, Tony purposely called the party quits so those closest to the Avengers could spend time together and enjoy the last hour of 2012 without a bunch of strangers gawking at them and asking for photographs.

Phoebe invited Sharon. She was excited to see Stark Tower, meet the other Avengers and catch up with Maria Hill. Naturally the girls rallied together to chat while the men played pool and drank a few beers together. Phoebe was catching Sharon up on what happened with the Mandarin, who was put away for a 500-year prison sentence.

“Wow. I am a little bummed that Coulson didn’t think to call me in. But yikes… it sounded like one hell of a mission. I have goosebumps!”

Phoebe felt guilty despite the obvious smile on Sharon’s face while retelling what happened in the end. Sharon did a lot of work to help them with the Mandarin, and she was stuck house-sitting of all things. “I didn’t even know he was alive, Shar. Much less who was on the Mandarin battle invite list. I really am sorry you missed out on the action.”

Sharon waved her off. “I was sworn to secrecy by Fury, of course, otherwise I would have told you about Coulson. It was a very experimental procedure and he wasn’t sure what was coming back if you know what I mean,” she hinted as she pressed the rim of her margarita to her lips, sipping on the pink liquid. “Anyway, don’t worry about it. You caught the guy, saved Tony from total self-destruction, and got yourself laid in the process. What more could you have asked for?”

“Oh my god, Sharon! You’re brazen when you’re drunk!” Phoebe said while trying to hide the flush tickling her cheeks.

“And you’re lacking details,” Natasha said, leering at her. “Spill.”

“You do realize they are right across the room, and Steve can hear everything we’re saying, right?” Phoebe said, raising a brow.

“Good point,” Maria said, and she stood up. “Come on girls.”

“Where are you girls off to?” Tony asked from the bar as he pour scotch for the guys.

“To talk about Phoebe and Steve sleeping together,” Sharon said bluntly.

“You really are drunk,” Natasha chuckled.

“It’s not a Stark party if you’re sober,” Sharon said with a shrug.

Tony’s eyes glimmered with amusement at that. “I like her, Pheebs.”

“Of course you do,” Phoebe said, rolling her eyes playfully.

“My bedroom’s soundproof,” Tony said, nodding towards the hallway.

The girls followed Phoebe into Tony’s room, where all four of them plopped onto his luxurious bed, taking in the soft, satin sheets with smiles on their faces.

“Must be nice to be rich,” Maria commented, laying face down on the sheets. “Anyway, start spilling, missy.”

“I think she needs another drink,” Sharon said.

“Oh, no, no. I’m way good,” Phoebe said. After a moment, she added, “So was Steve.”

The girls chirped and squealed with excitement like teenagers at a sleepover. Phoebe had to admit, it was nice to have girls to share these things with. Phoebe bit her lip innocently, feeling the heat of her flush radiate off her skin as she flashed back to the night in question.

***

It had been three days since the battle with Killian. Tony figured that Extremis melds itself to the hosts DNA strand. He finally came up with a formula that would dilute Extremis. With Pepper, it was simple. One shot in an IV and she was Extremis-free by noon the next day. But Steve’s body was rejecting Extremis. It latched on to his DNA, but he never made it beyond stage two. The super soldier serum saw it as a threat and constantly tried to force it out of his body. He was in pain for most of those three days before Tony realized what was happening.

By the third day, Steve looked like he was dying.

A simple walk down the stairs nearly killed him when he collapsed at Stark Tower where he and Phoebe stayed until Steve was healed. Less than an hour after he fell, he was in the VIP wing of Bellevue Hospital. He was pale, eyes sunken and cheeks hollowed out from his body working overtime to rid itself of Extremis. Every muscle in his body carved through the thin layer of his skin. He was smaller and weaker. There were so many tubes and cords hooked up to him, Phoebe was afraid to even touch him.

She was afraid for his life.

But even with a morphine drip and a tube down his throat, Steve talked about the future. Their future. Phoebe listened to every word as if it was going to be his last.

“You’re so beautiful,” Steve hummed from his hospital bed. “How did I manage to find you?”

“Technically, I found you,” Phoebe replied softly, a hint of a smile. Steve merely looked at her with a warm expression before he closed his eyes and let his head rest against his pillow. There was a long pause floating in the air as they talked, as if they were putting off the inevitable conversation.

“Phoebe,” Steve said after several moments, his voice turned serious. “If Tony can’t fix me-”

“Shhh,” Phoebe hushed him, her lip quivering as she swallowed a shaky breath that would’ve been a soft plea. The tears welled in the corner of her eyes, spilling over her cheeks too fast for her to stop. She begged him with her eyes not to say it. Pleaded with his soul not to give up.

_Please don’t say it._

“Promise me you won’t hold on to me. That you’ll move on and find someone new.”

_What?_

Phoebe looked at him with wide, bloodshot eyes. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Stop it. You’re not thinking straight.” It was the morphine that was making him talk like this, she decided. It had to be.

He wasn’t dying.

“I’m going to blow up like the rest of them,” Steve said matter-of-fact. He stared at the ceiling walls while his Adam’s apple quivered beneath his throat as he spoke, choking back tears. “It’s only a matter of time.” A tear fell from his closed eyes. “I don’t want you to blow up along with me. You should go.”

“I said stop it,” Phoebe hissed under her breath. She wasn’t in the mood to hear this. Ever. “I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you. Tony will find a way to fix you. And when he does…” Phoebe leaned forward just enough for her lips to ghost over his ear. “We’re going to have so much sex, neither one of us will be able to get out of bed.”

Steve laughed at that, putting the tiniest of smiles on Phoebe’s face. His eyes were still closed. She imagined he was thinking of what sex with her could be like. “Make love,” she heard him whisper after a moment. He was looking at her now, eyes welled with tears that were too afraid to spill. “We’ll make love.”

Phoebe chuckled through her tears, finding her resolve to be that much harder to keep up. She reached for his hand and clasped their fingers together. “We’ll make love,” she repeated back to him, exhaling deeply. Blood rushed to her ears as she bent down and kissed their intertwined hands.

Steve looked at their hands. “Now.”

Phoebe blinked.

_Lust. Desire. Affection._

How she didn’t feel this coming until now, she had no idea, but his emotions were now pounding against her heart like a tidal wave, all of them balled into one emotion: _Love_.

“Steve,” Phoebe started, looking down at his weakened but still chiseled body. “I don’t think that’s the best idea in your condition.”

“Frail, sickly men not your type, Reynolds?” Steve flirted weakly, a smirk on his face.

Phoebe couldn’t hide the giggle that escaped from the back of her throat. “You don’t know what you’re asking. You’re on some pretty powerful drugs right now.”

Steve managed to pull himself into a sitting position. His muscles contorted as he wiggled into a comfortable position. Phoebe found herself staring at every muscle on his body as he flexed. “I know what I’m asking. I want _you_ , Phoebe. If I’m gonna die, I’m gonna be damn sure you have something to remember me by.”

She hated to admit it but hearing Steve talk like this was incredibly sexy. And so not helping her case. “Language, Captain,” she whispered huskily. She hadn’t meant it to be sexual, but Steve’s eyes lit up with a fervor that she’d only ever seen in her dreams.

Steve leaned forward, his face a few inches from Phoebe’s. “Say it again,” he demanded with a hitch in his breath as the passion became evident.

“Say what?” Phoebe played along, brushing her lips against his for a moment before pulling back. She found herself drawn to his sultry voice. “ _Captain_?”

Steve moaned under his breath, vibrating against Phoebe’s lips as he captured hers in a passionate kiss. All resolve faded the moment their lips touched. Phoebe melted into the kiss, swiping her tongue along the bottom edge of Steve’s lips. A groan came from the back of his throat, and it was the sexiest noise Phoebe had ever heard. She was lost in the sensation of Steve’s hands tangled in her blonde locks, tugging gently to pull her face as close as he could, the pounding of her heart echoing against her ribcage, thrumming steadily with every breath she took through her nose. In this moment, Phoebe knew what was about to happen. There was no going back.

Phoebe pulled away from Steve’s lips long enough to point a finger to the curtains to push them down along with the lock on his door. When she turned to look at him, a subtle moan escaped her lips at the sight. Steve’s lips were swollen from their heated moment and his pupils blown with lust-filled glaze. He was staring at her with his parted ever so slightly, breathing deep, long breaths, like he wanted to devour her with his eyes. He had scooted to the edge of the bed to give her room to sit, which she did.

“Let me look at you,” Steve requested huskily, hands wandering to her hair to push it to one side, showing her collarbone. Phoebe closed her eyes upon feeling his lips on the crook of her neck. His tongue licked at her pulse point, lighting a trail of fire in its wake as he peppered her neck with nips and kisses to curve of her jaw bone. “So beautiful,” he whispered into her ear before nibbling at the lobe, eliciting a dark moan from Phoebe’s lips.

Steve was enticing her. Every kiss sparked a glimmer of desire in the pit of her stomach until her body was itching on fire to touch him. Everywhere, anywhere, as long as their flesh was touching, she was content. Hands tangled in his hair while he tugged at the flesh on her neck, biting and sucking until he felt satisfied with what he left behind. Even weak, he was pushing her into a state of pure blown lust, and she was quickly losing her control. Steve’s hand roamed around her body, exploring every part of her, stopping to admire her curves until he was ready to move on to the next. He stopped at the swell of her breast, his breath hitching firmly.

“Touch me,” Phoebe practically begged for him to release the pressure building in her body. Steve groaned at that, biting his lip hard while a hand cupped her softly. He moved his hand around the supple part of her body, grabbing and squeezing as his hand splayed across the valley of her breasts. Phoebe felt the moan rip from her throat in an uncontrollable gasp when his hand caressed her hardened nipple through her shirt.

“You like that?” Steve asked between pants. Phoebe nodded feverishly, and Steve grinned before crashing his lips to hers again. He rolled his thumb over the fabric of her t-shirt, groaning at such friction. It was harder to move his other hand because of his IV but they made it work. Steve watched every move she made as she stripped herself of her jeans and t-shirt, leaving only her bra and underwear.

Steve blinked, in awe over the woman in front of him.

 _You’re perfect_.

Phoebe smiled when she felt those words tingle down her spine, and climbed back into the hospital bed, cautiously kneeling on either side of Steve’s pelvis. It was obvious that Steve _wanted_ to do this. Really wanted to, actually. Phoebe slowly sank her hips down, rubbing her underwear-clad sex over his hips and she gasped. He wasn’t wearing anything under his hospital gown. Biting her lip at the revelation, Phoebe ground against him again.

“Christ,” Steve moaned, briefly shutting his eyes. He reached a free hand between their hips and sighed heavily. Phoebe was soaked through her underwear. She felt two digits run over her clit and it took everything in her power not to cry out and let the whole hospital know what was happening. She bent down and bit into Steve’s neck instead, which sent him in a spiral of desire. Steve ripped her underwear away, tossing the material to the floor. At least they weren’t Victoria’s Secret underwear, she thought. Steve’s finger delved between her folds.

“Am I… is this…?” Steve trailed off, his cheeks flush against Phoebe’s chest. He glanced up at her, meeting her dark eyes. “I’m sorry I’m not-”

“Don’t,” Phoebe said breathlessly, running her fingers through his hair as she circled her hips over him. All of him. “It feels amazing. If you want to touch me, Steven, then by all means… touch me.”

Steve’s long, thick fingers brushed against her clit again, and Phoebe bit back a moan until her lip bled. He experimented with a slow, tantalizing pace until the look on Phoebe’s face told him to go faster. Then he pushed a finger inside of her without warning. Phoebe gasped suddenly, stilling above him, seeing white.

She didn’t even have time to warn him as she came apart, muscles clenching around Steve’s fingers. Steve watched in awe. Phoebe swore it turned him on, even more, watching her cum. Steve retracted his finger and looked at the liquid, eyes wide. Phoebe reached to grab a Kleenex when Steve put his lips around his fingers experimentally, catching her totally off guard.

Phoebe surged forward and kissed Steve hard, expertly slipping her tongue into his mouth in one swift motion and tasting herself in his mouth. Steve immediately tangled his tongue with hers in a wrestling match for dominance. Phoebe gently pushed the front of his gown down, racking her hands over his pecs and abs. If Dr. Erskine was still alive, she would be personally thanking him for all that the serum has done for them both. Steve moaned as Phoebe’s lips fell to his neck, biting and tugging while she traced each ab with her fingernail. Steve shuddered from under her and all Phoebe could do was smile wickedly.

“You’re sure about this?” Phoebe asked. Her body was burning under his touch, yearning for Steve.

“I’ve never been so sure about anything,” Steve swore under his breath, entangling his lips against her jaw, her neck, her collarbone. “I want you, baby. I want to give this to you,” he said, the conviction in his voice shining through the lust. He thrust upwards to push himself against her slick folds, causing a low moan from their lips. “I want you to have me before it’s too late.”

Phoebe didn’t want to tell him, but she sensed his fear. It was almost as powerful as his desire for her. But she knew it would ruin the moment. And Steve was so sure about this. The glistening sweat on his skin, the flush of his cheeks, swell of his lips, it was too much to deny. Phoebe wanted him just as he wanted her.

_Before it’s too late._

Phoebe tasted the salt of her tears. She leaned forward, pressing a shaky kiss to Steve’s lips, then nodded.

Sex with Steve was like coming home. There was never going to be another person to make her feel the way Steve made her feel, she knew that now. As Steve cupped her face gently, pulling her towards him, she felt every emotion, every dream, every fear through his touch. He was giving her all that he was in this moment, and Phoebe’s heart nearly burst from the overwhelming sensation.

Steve wrapped his arms around her chest, the flesh to flesh contact overwhelming his skin with an unfamiliar, but welcoming tingling sensation. He surged upward to meet her thrust for thrust.

“I love you,” he moaned, tossing his head against his pillow. He sighed and planted his hands over Phoebe’s hips, bucking wildly against her. “You’re everything.”

Phoebe dug her nails into his abs, scratching and rubbing over his golden skin as she ground her hips. “Love you more,” she told him sweetly, tossing her head back. Her hair stuck to her back and sweat dripped down the valley of her breast. Steve reached forward and licked up the valley, biting at her skin and licking over her nipples, making sure to give attention to both. “Steve,” she moaned.

“I know,” Steve said, and he reached between them. “Allow me.”

Phoebe laughed. Even in the middle of sex, Steve was being the gentleman his mother had raised him to be. It was beautiful. Steve’s thumb grazed her clit and he pressed hard, circling around it at a brutal pace and sending Phoebe down the rabbit hole of an intense orgasm. Steve followed not long after. She blindly reached for Steve’s hands, holding them tight as her body collapsed.

***

Sharon let out a soft sigh, a wide smile on her face. “You do realize that you just had sex with Captain America, right?”

“No,” Phoebe said, shaking her head with a smile splayed across her lips. “I made love to Steve Rogers. There’s a difference.”

Sharon’s smile grew wider. “I’m guessing there were movie fireworks, right? You felt the spark?”

Phoebe looked at her drink, a faint smile still on her face. “I just felt him.” That warm smile soon faded and was replaced with a frown. “And something a lot worse.”

***

When Phoebe came to, Steve had draped his blanket over Phoebe and himself. She was cuddling with her head on his chest while Steve aimlessly played with her hair.

“That was…” Steve couldn’t seem to find the words. “That was everything I could have hoped for. Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me,” Phoebe said, snuggling closer to him. “Just be glad you didn’t ignite us both on fire. For real,” she added, smiling coyly.

Steve smiled and leaned his head against hers. “This is perfect.”

Phoebe frowned and looked up. “What? Cuddling in a hospital room that we just made love in? I can think of about a hundred other places we could be cuddling in.”

Steve laughed. “I meant this. Us.”

Phoebe smiled at him. “We’re going to get you better. Tony fixed Pepper. He’s going to fix you, too.”

Steve’s heartbeat picked up as he glanced at his IV. “By the time he finds a solution, I may not be worth saving.”

“Don’t…” Phoebe shook her head. She wasn’t hearing this. Not after… not after what they did. She grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around herself, sitting on the edge of her bed to reach for his shirt, the closest article of clothing. “You’re not going to die. You’re not going to blow up. End of conversation.” She straightened the shirt and turned to meet his eyes. He was smiling at her. “What?” she asked.

“You never give up. Even when all hope seems to be lost. You’re incredible.”

There a warmth of silence between them that lit up the room. It was comforting and peaceful.

Until… _fear. Panic. Pain._

Phoebe felt and watched Steve’s expression fade to a blank stare. The monitors above him beeped louder and faster, signaling his heart rate jumping into tachycardic range. The veins in his neck were outlined by the orange glow of Extremis, each phase lasting for seconds at a time. His eyes wound shut on instinct from the pain. Without thinking, Phoebe touched his arm to comfort him only to get second degree burn on her hand. The sheets wrapped around him turned to ash at his fingertips. Phoebe used her powers to levitate his body and place fire resistant sheets under him. Then she grabbed a cooling blanket over him, but even through the thick steam he was creating, Phoebe could tell it wasn’t working. He was thrashing against the bed, grunting into the pillow while Extremis burned him from the inside out.

“Steve!” Phoebe cried. “No, no, no… this isn’t happening!” She reached her shaky hands over his body and closed her eyes.

Phoebe tried once before to filter Extremis out of his body like she did when Loki put Thor under his control, but it didn’t work. But now that he was having an episode, there may be a chance.

All she needed was a chance.

She made quick work of activating her powers. She placed her hands on either side of his head and took a deep breath before piercing her hands against his scolding flesh, ignoring the pain.

Her scream was not nearly as loud as Steve’s, and by now she couldn’t tell whose pain she was feeling more. But she forced herself to concentrate on her powers, not the pain as she pushed the purple energy through his brain until she reached Extremis’s core. Her powers sniffed out the unstable molecules and attached themselves. Phoebe’s hands no longer hurt, and she knew she was in 3rd degree burn territory, but she didn’t care. It was by the grace of the Powers That Be that she had super healing and wouldn’t sustain any major damage. She was able to concentrate on her powers more now that Steve’s pain was the only thing to distract her. Deep breaths flowed through her body as Extremis filtered through her powers. It was like pulling teeth to get Extremis to retract from his mind. It was deep seeded and not budging. Phoebe pushed herself beyond what she should have. She felt the blood dripping from her nose and onto Steve’s now unconscious orange glowing body.

But she began to feel a difference. Steve’s temperature was lowering.

But hers was rising.

There was a pounding at the door. “Phoebe, are you in there? Unlock the door!”

“I can’t!” Phoebe yelled at Tony. “If I move, Steve dies. You have to break the door down!”

“Damn it!” Tony cursed. There was a momentary pause before the sounds of a repulsorblast powering on could be heard outside. The door fell on its back, and Tony walked in holding a pen-like device in his hands. “Uh… where did your pants go?”

“Forget the pants and get over here!” Phoebe panted heavily. “Please tell me you have an antidote.”

“I have an antidote,” Tony echoed, examining Steve’s vitals. “But I didn’t get a chance to test it because I got a call that Steve’s vitals were fluctuating. Now I think I know why…” Tony trailed off, eyeing Phoebe’s bra and torn underwear on the floor before turning back to Steve. Phoebe was glad she at least had a shirt on that covered to the curve of her butt. “What exactly are you doing to his brain?”

“I’m filtering Extremis through my powers, which filters through me,” Phoebe said. “I can feel Extremis in my veins. I can’t hold it for long. If I let go, I think he’s gonna explode.”

“Antidote time.” Tony hurried to get the injection out of his pocket. The white liquid quickly made its way into his IV. “Don’t stop whatever you’re doing until I tell you to.”

Phoebe did as told, afraid that the slightest movement would kill Steve. He looked peaceful right now, and that scared the hell out of her. Tony flushed his IV with saline and stepped back, nervous fingers brushing against each other while he waited.

Steve’s heart rate plummeted, and Phoebe looked at Tony as if she’d seen a ghost. “What did you do?” she asked, almost angrily.

Tony assured her that everything would be okay. “It happened with Pepper, too. It’s his body rebooting after Extremis is wiped from their DNA.”

Phoebe trusted Tony’s instincts, though it was hard to override the feeling in her heart that said that Steve was dying. She watched his heart monitor like her life depended on it. 50…45…39…27…0…

“No,” Phoebe breathed weakly. “Steve!”

Tony held up a hand, telling her to calm down. “Don’t move!”

Phoebe remained still despite the burning coursing through her body, eyes watering at the monitor that told her Steve was dead. She wanted to check for herself, pound on his chest to bring him back. But she couldn’t move, or he wouldn’t stand a chance.

Phoebe closed her eyes, unwilling to face what was happening.

Then the monitor beeped.

Tony let out an audible sigh of relief. “You can let go, Pheebs.”

Phoebe released the grip she had on Steve’s mind as his eyes blinked open.

“Told you I’d be alright,” Steve said hoarsely, looking at through tired eyes.

Phoebe laughed. “This whole dying thing has got to stop, babe. My heart can’t take it.”

“I can’t promise you it won’t happen again, but I’ll try.” Steve relaxed against his pillow, reaching a hand to touch Phoebe’s face. “You’re burning up. Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” Phoebe promised him. “ _We’ll_ be fine.”

Tony whistled, and Phoebe turned to see him holding up her jeans. “You might need these considering super soldier over there tore your underwear to shreds. Nice job, by the way,” he said, holding up an OK sign with his fingers and grinning.

Steve sighed, running a hand over his face in embarrassment. “Just… don’t blab this to the rest of the team, alright?”

Tony pretended to zip his lips and toss away the key. “Scout’s honor.” He turned to leave.

“Hey, Tony?”

“Yeah?” Tony asked, tossing a glance Steve’s way.

“Thank you.”

A smile. “You’re welcome, Steve.”

“He’s going to tell everyone, isn’t he?” Steve conceded after Tony left the room.

Phoebe propped herself sideways on Steve’s bed, resting her head on his chest. “Yep.”

Steve pressed his lips together. “Great.”

***  


“I can’t imagine being in your shoes during that,” Sharon gasped in shock as the girls headed back into the living area. “Did you feel his heart stop?”

“I did,” Phoebe admitted solemnly. “He fought. I felt his soul fighting to stay within his body. I think my powers kept his brain alive while I was filtering Extremis through my body, which ultimately saved his life.”

“That’s beautiful. That you were the one that saved him,” Maria said, sipping her beer.

Phoebe couldn’t take all the credit. “Tony did, too. Without the antidote, Extremis would still be embedded in his DNA. Now he’s back to his normal, super soldier self.”

“So what are you going to do now?” Natasha asked, curious.

“Well, tomorrow I have to meet Fury in his office. Probably to yell at me for escaping protective custody,” Phoebe said with a shrug.

Sharon looked down at her hands, sighing. “Yeah, he already gave me the third degree yesterday before he relieved me of my duties.”

Phoebe blinked. “He did what? Am I getting a new protective detail? Did he say why he was relieving you?”

“Whoa, hold on there, cowgirl!” Sharon said, holding both hands in defense. “You know Fury. I have no idea if you’re getting someone new, but I didn’t feel comfortable with you having no protection.”

“She has protection,” a voice called behind them.

Steve leaned against the glass stairway smiling warmly at Phoebe.

“That I do,” Phoebe agreed. She walked over to him and melted into his embrace as he kissed the crown of her head.

“It’s almost midnight!” Clint said to the group, turning up the volume on the TV.

“You finished your story just in time to watch… what is it? A ball drop in NYC?” Steve said, wrapping his arms around her and leading her to the couch.

“It sounds silly, I know, but it really is a spectacular show,” Phoebe said.

Steve sat down next to her and nuzzled his arm around her waist. “I’ve never kissed anyone on New Year’s,” he admitted sheepishly.

“Neither have I,” Phoebe said, feeling the flush of her cheeks creep to the tip of her ears as she smiled nervously.

Tony passed around 2013 glasses for everyone at the 30-second mark. Once it got to 10 seconds, the group started to countdown.

“10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Happy New Years!” They all said in unison.

“Happy New Year, darling,” Steve whispered to Phoebe.

“Happy New Year, Steve,” Phoebe replied.

They both leaned in at the same time, their lips touching just as the ball dropped over New York City. Phoebe got out her cell phone and took several pictures of her and her boyfriend together with their friends. This was the way things were supposed to be. No terrorists bombing the world, or psychotic maniacs blowing up soldiers who sacrificed everything for their country. No Chitauri raiding the planet, or crazy wannabe Gods.

The world is changing with every New Year. Some changes are good. Some not so good.

Either way, the Avengers will be there whenever Earth needs them– together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized this title would be perfect for Avengers Age of Ultron.... damn it. But that's okay. I plan on a post-credit scene after this to get CA: TWS started. Stay tuned!(:


	10. Post-Credit Scene

Steve wasn’t sure how they ended up here again, sitting in Fury’s office, holding Phoebe’s hand while they waited.

It was a long beat of silence before Phoebe looked at him with nervous eyes. “I’m fired. That’s why he hasn’t come in yet. He’s erasing my retinal scans, my fingerprints, everything. Wiping me from SHIELD’s existence.”

Steve didn’t say anything because there was a good possibility that Fury was, in fact, wiping Phoebe from SHIELD’s system. And if that was the case, they would deal with it. But Steve had hope. He said time and time again that he and Phoebe were a team, a package. Take them or leave them.

With Fury, it was hard to know for sure.

“He didn’t fire Agent Carter, he won’t fire you,” Steve said.

Phoebe looked at him with wide eyes. “How?” she asked.

“Sharon told me. She felt I should know,” Steve replied, a little irritated.

Phoebe caught on to it. “I’m so sorry, Steve. I wasn’t trying to keep secrets. The Mandarin was killing people. Nearly killed Happy. I know how you are about the past…” she trailed off, looking down at her hands.

“That wasn’t it, was it?”

Phoebe sighed. “No, it wasn’t.”

It didn’t take Steve long to piece together Phoebe’s inferiority to Peggy. But truth be told, Phoebe had nothing to worry about. Steve just wished she would see that. “I don’t know what I have to do to prove to you that I’m yours. 110%. Peggy was just one piece of the puzzle that is my life. You are the missing piece that completed it.”

Their eyes met, and Steve sighed at the emotion in Phoebe’s eyes. He almost had to look away. But he gave her the warmest of smiles and leaned forward, touching her lips in a sweet, tender kiss.

Furry walked into his office, clearing his throat. “If you two are finished,” he mumbled, holding a set of tags. Phoebe’s SHIELD tags. “I had business that needed to be taken care of. Sorry about the wait.”

Phoebe visibly gulped at the tags. Steve wasn’t one to hold off the inevitable, so he stood up, keeping his hand to his belt. “I think Agent Reynolds has waited long enough,” Steve said, eyeing the director sternly.

Fury looked at Phoebe. “She has,” he agreed. “Stand up, Agent.”

Phoebe stood, hands fumbling in front of her. She looked like she wanted to throw up.

“I should have known you would form an attachment to Agent Carter,” Fury said, shaking his head as if he were beating himself up over the decision. “You two are a lot alike. I admire those qualities, but those qualities also resulted in you knowingly defying orders. I can’t condone that.”

Steve found his patience to be tested again. This was sounding more and more like a dismissal of duty.

“But, you did save the world… again. Killian was after you all along. Between Captain Rogers’s intervention and your own strength, you’ve proven to me and the Council that you can still work while protecting yourself. Because of that, we are lifting your protective detail.”

 _Thank God_ , Steve thought.

“Thank you, sir,” Phoebe said, trying to keep her composure, though a tiny smile managed to poke through her resolve.

Fury handed them a file containing pictures of other SHIELD operatives. Some Steve recognized from past missions, others he didn’t. Above their photos was an acronym. STRIKE. Under it, it said **S** pecial **T** actical **R** eserve for **I** nternational **E** mergencies.

“We’re putting together a new sector. Agent Rumlow will be leading the team. I want someone I can trust on that team,” Fury said. “That’s where you come in, Reynolds. I want you to be a double agent for me.”

“And Steve?”

“Agent Romanov, Agent Barton, and Captain Rogers will assist the team more often than not. There will be some missions where you will be on your own.”

“Do I get to know why I am going undercover with our own SHIELD agents?” Phoebe asked.

Fury looked at them both with that stern look that neither one of them liked. “Need to know basis. And all you need to know is that you start Monday.”

~fin~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to see more of Steve and Phoebe? Stay tuned for more coming up on the Avenging Love Series! <3


End file.
